A Second Chance
by tothemorg
Summary: After Gohan and the Z Fighters perish in the final battle with Moro, he wakes up back in the Cell Games. Discovering that he's been gifted a second chance in life, he works to make a better life for himself and overcome his failures. But this new life comes with new challenges, friends, and foes alike. Not only that, but he isn't the only one given a second chance. (CANCELED)
1. Rebirth

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Dragon Ball Z nor any of the franchises, characters, or rights associated with it. Nor do I own the picture used as the cover image for this story. Credit for the photo goes to allofmywhy on Twitter.

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"Father!" Gohan cried. He could only watch helplessly as his father's shriveled, depleted corpse fell at his feet. The once silver hair and intense heat that emanated from his Mastered Ultra Instinct faded. Though flames surrounded him and consumed the plains that served as their battlefield, Gohan could only feel the cold chill of death as Moro hovered above him.

"How pitiful," Moro commented as he eyed Gohan, the last remaining Z Fighter. "You don't possess nearly enough power to defeat me. It wouldn't even be worth it to devour your energy."

Gohan's fist clenched in frustration, nails digging into his palm. He knew what the wizard said was true. At his strongest with all of his current potential unleashed, there was nothing he could do against him. But still, he took his stance in the face of certain defeat and death. "I may not be able to win, but that doesn't mean I won't go down fighting."

Moro chuckled at the young warrior's resolve. "Foolish and stubborn to the very end, just like your father and Vegeta. What good is fighting if you can't win?"

"It's about more than winning- I have to fight. Not just for me, but for all of the people you've mercilessly killed."

He laughed again, boisterously. "You talk as if you're some hero, yet you've failed more than any of these weaklings here. The outcome of this battle was decided two months ago when my henchmen visited this world. If you failed against them, what on earth would make you think that you stood any chance? You've failed as both a warrior and a hero. Now accept your death."

"Never!" Gohan screamed as he unleashed the rest of his power. It paled in comparison to the wizard's, but he knew he had to try. He rushed at the monster, fist wound back ready to swing. "Take this, you monster!"

Moro caught his fist and pulled him in. Blood red eyes pierced into his very soul. With little effort, he expelled a wave of fire from his palm that engulfed him. The man's screams fell silent against the monster's triumphant cackling. In what little vision he had left, he could see the world below them break apart at its very seams. His father's body fell into a pit of lava that had been unearthed by Moro's destruction, and soon the entire field was nothing but a ruined, molten landscape.

Slowly, the world was consumed, and slowly, Gohan could feel himself dying. His life began to flash before his eyes, moment by moment. In the final moments of the last Z Fighter, his dying thoughts went unheard by anyone except him. _I've failed everyone again. If only I were stronger, if only I had kept up with my training throughout my life! If only… I could just have… a second chance..._

A strange light from Moro's magic enveloped the planet. In what felt like a second, the Earth was gone. Condensed into a ball of light, Moro swallowed the orb and immediately, his body quaked with power.

Moro would continue his rampage through the stars without anyone to stop him. He would go on to devour everything. His power grew to such immeasurable heights that not even the Grand Minister or Gods of Destruction could put an end to him.

Gohan was left to float alone in the cold abyss of space. The life had long since faded from him and he was no more. His spirit began to lift from him and make the journey to the Other World, when something, or rather, someone, spoke to him.

"A second chance, huh?" remarked a strange, unknown voice. "I think I can do that for you! But you have to promise to do things right this time, okay? No mistakes, no screw-ups, and no getting comfortable and being lazy. If you want to save Goku, Piccolo, Goten, Videl, Pan, and the others, then you'll do things right this time."

Suddenly, Gohan was awake. He could feel dirt underneath his clenched fists, and fresh air pouring into his lungs. Both his forehead and the collar of his gi were soaked in sweat, and there were tears streaming down his face for some reason. He looked around to see he was in the wastelands, but not just any wastelands

. This scene was all too familiar to him.

_Wh- What is this? _He thought to himself.

A hand gently pat his back. "Hey, its okay, Gohan," assured Krillin. "Don't beat yourself up over this. You did great, and I know your dad is sitting in Other World proud of you."

Gohan whipped his head around. The sight of Krillin made him go pale. "K- Krillin?! You're alive?!" He looked back and saw the other Z Fighters, Piccolo, Vegeta, Yamcha, Tien, and Trunks. But the sight of the Z Fighters, specifically Trunks, made his brain lurch. _What in the world is going on here? Everyone looks younger, and Trunks is back? And where's my dad?_

Krillin gave the boy a funny look. "Well of course I'm alive! Man, this whole thing with Cell must've really shaken you up, huh?"

Piccolo approached him and helped him to his feet. "Don't worry. It's understandable that you might be a bit confused after such a jarring shock. Losing your father like that might be a lot for you to process right now. Let's get you home so you can rest."

Gohan looked up at his mentor, eyes widened by how much he suddenly had to crane his neck to look up. _Hold on, when did Piccolo get so tall? … Wait, what was that about losing my dad?!_ He looked down at his hands, far smaller than what they were before. His orange gi modeled after his father's was gone, and instead he wore his Namekian outfit. It was tattered and torn as if he had just been in a hard-fought battle, and he could feel dried blood on his forehead from a nasty wound. But if that wasn't strange enough, his voice was a much higher pitch.

He suddenly sensed a very familiar wild flow of power appear in front of him. Everyone looked back at the scene of the disaster to see something that shook them to their core. But no one was shaken more than the now young, 11-year-old Gohan.

Before he could say anything, a Death Beam pierced through Trunks' armor and punched a hole straight through the boy's chest. He fell to the ground, blood erupting from his mouth like a volcano.

Gohan looked back at the time traveler. His ki was declining at an alarming rate, but even this felt familiar to him. _H- He's gonna die… isn't he?_ He asked himself, already knowing full and well of the outcome.

"Ah, that was Trunks, wasn't it?" asked a satisfied Cell who now stood before them once again. "Seems my aim has gotten even better upon being reborn. Would someone like to give me a moving target?"

"D- Damn you, Cell!" Krillin swore.

Gohan could only stand in utter disbelief. _What is going on? Is this some sort of dream? This all feels so real…_

Vegeta suddenly rushed in, rage igniting his Ascended Super Saiyan transformation. Electricity sparked from the prince's body like lightning as he unleashed a full-powered blast on the bio-android.

"V- Vegeta!" Gohan called in vain, knowing what would happen next. But he knew the prince was too overcome with rage to hear anything other than the explosions from his volley of energy waves that covered the battlefield in a thick dust cloud.

"T- Take that, you freak," spat the prince as he lowered his hands, trembling from the strain of pouring every ounce of power he had and then some into his attack. "At last, its finally over…"

That was what everyone, especially Gohan at this time, wanted to believe. But he knew better. No sooner after Vegeta finished his attack did Cell dash out of the wreckage, not even fazed in the slightest. "Wrong, Vegeta. Its over when _I_ say it's over!"

With that, the proud father and prince was smacked aside like a house fly. He fell to the ground, neck and shoulder practically broken. His crumpled body lay there motionless, alive but so overcome with pain that he was unable to move.

A delighted, sinister smile of satisfaction crept across the bio-android's lips as he looked down at the defeated prince. "There there, Vegeta. You should be happy! _Soon you'll be with your son in Hell!_"

"No! Vegeta!" Tien called, unable to do anything.

Krillin cursed the prince's actions. "Dammit, why'd he have to go off like that?! Now he's a goner!"

"There has to be something we can do!" Yamcha cried as he rose from Trunks' side. "We can't let him go out like this!"

"All he wanted was to avenge his son," Piccolo stated, "but his actions were foolish. There was no way he would have been able to defeat Cell like that."

Suddenly, it all began to click for the young warrior. As Cell fired his Perfect Shot, he realized this wasn't a dream. Somehow, by some miracle or twist of fate, he was back. Alive. And he wasn't about to let anyone else die. He may not have been able to save Trunks, but he could save Vegeta again. This time without damaging his arm.

The Z Fighters looked on, astonished that Gohan was able to reach him in time. A barrier appeared around the teenager and shielded them from the blast that would have otherwise reduced the prince to dust.

Cell looked down, disgusted at the boy's heroics as his Perfect Shot bounced off the Super Saiyan's barrier that he had thrown up in the knick of time. He concealed the bit of shock that welled up within him as he lay eyes on the boy.

"There won't be anymore bloodshed on my watch," the teenager announced. He locked eyes with an infuriated Cell and said, "Leave everyone else out of this. We never got a chance to finish our fight!"

Cell lowered himself to the ground and glared uncomfortably at him. There was something different about the boy. The way he dashed in made it seem like he almost knew Vegeta was going to launch an attack. And though it wasn't difficult to predict the actions of the hard-headed and emotional prince, something about the situation made him recall a bit of the fear he felt when he was powerless against the boy in their last fight.

But the most alarming and unsettling thing of all was that the boy had powered down from his ascension. The shock of losing his father caused him to release the transformation, yet there hardly seemed to be any decrease in his power. In fact, compared to earlier, the boy's power was about equal to when he achieved the Super Saiyan 2 transformation.

_ How could this be?_ Cell asked himself. _He seems different from earlier. It's almost as if he's a completely different person._

Gohan took a deep breath to steady his emotions. His hands trembled at the fact that he was somehow back in this fight. If he needed anymore confirmation that this wasn't a dream, standing face to face against the monster that killed his father and feeling the impact of the blast against his shield was more than enough for the boy to accept this.

Soon, his hands stopped trembling and his fists tightened. "Things will be different this time, Cell."

Cell chuckled at the boy's sudden confidence. "Don't think for a moment that you're the only one who's changed. You have no idea how powerful I've become now. Blowing myself up could have quite possibly been the smartest thing I've ever done. And now…"

Instead of finishing his monologue, Cell decided to show the boy just what he was up against. With little effort, his power soared to new heights. The intensity of a Super Saiyan 2 transformation can be felt deep within the bio-android's energy. Electricity sparked from him like lightning, striking and torching the ground around him. Clouds overhead converged in a black backdrop and swirled underneath his power. The people of Earth, Namek, Yardrat, and beyond, all shuddered at the sinister energy he produced.

Vegeta managed to regain consciousness just in time to see the monster stand before them, unscathed and stronger than ever. With what little movemenet he had, he hung his head in utter shame. He not only failed in protecting his son, but now with Cell's power climbing to such unspeakable heights, things quickly began to seem hopeless. "G- Gohan, I'm sor-"

"Save your strength, Vegeta," Gohan told him. "Can you move?"

Before Vegeta could answer, he succumbed to the pain and fell unconscious once more. Gohan turned his attention back to the monster in front of him and waited patiently for him to finish powering up.

Cell calmed himself, capping his power out at what he thought to be an appropriate level. He had far surpassed the boy in his current state and his smile beamed all the confidence and arrogance in the world. "I bet you're wondering just how I survived and retained my Perfect Form."

"Not really," he told him.

Cell sneered at the teenager. Voice, sinister and full of rage, he remarked, "You… You obviously have no idea what I'm capable of. You'd better power back up if you want to have even the slightest chance of defeating me."

Gohan took a moment to bask in the situation. He had to look down at his small, teenage hands once again. It was still hard to grasp that he had somehow come back in time. _But why here? Why now?_ He asked himself. But as Cell seemed to grow impatient with the boy, he realized the answers to his questions weren't going to be answered right now.

Cell narrowed his eyes at the boy, uncertainty and unease making his eye twitch. "Do you really intend to fight me with that level of power?"

Gohan prepared himself, honoring his now deceased father by taking his trademark fighting stance and even donning his excited smile. "I do," he answered. Not a single shred of fear nor doubt were in the boy this time. Though Cell did severely outclass him at the moment, he knew he was capable of much more. _Now that I think about it, I never really unleashed my true power until the final clash. I wonder… how far can I go in this form?_

"Together, we will explore the depths of my new, even more perfected power!" Cell announced.

"I hope you know how ridiculous you sound," Gohan insulted with a smirk.

The battlefield grew quiet. Krillin, Piccolo, Yamcha, and Tien all observed from afar as a climactic battle was about to be underway. Even they held worries about the boy's refusal to power up into a Super Saiyan 2, but Piccolo could sense something different about him. His once unstable, wavering energy had a frighteningly calm aura to it. _Gohan… please, be careful._

Cell cracked his neck and knuckles to limber himself up. The anticipation of facing the boy once more to exact his revenge brought an excited smile to his face. "So then, shall we begin?"

Gohan began to unleash his power. His aura expanded to encompass the entire battlefield, bathing it in a bright, heroic gold that nearly blinded Cell. Just as a Super Saiyan, he made the Earth quake beneath his power. The dark, stormy clouds that gathered before were immediately blown away, revealing a bright blue sky of hope. Rays of sunlight shined down on the boy as he turned to Cell, face brimming with more confidence than ever.

"Bring it on, Cell."

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**AN: **Thank you for checking out my story! Just to explain really quick, only chapter 55 of the Dragon Ball Super manga will be canon towards this story. I started it back when that chapter came out, and since then I've come to the decision that I'd like to do my own interpretation of events in the story following that chapter. Just for reference, its the chapter where Goku leaves to train with Merus and Vegeta leaves for Yardrat.

I've taken a few creative liberties with some ideas in this story that I hope you all enjoy. My goal is to do something different, and in order to do that, I like to draw from different mediums, like Attack on Titan, My Hero Academia, Avatar: the Last Airbender, and more. But I want the elements from those works that inspire me to fit in the realm/world of Dragon Ball Z, and not only that, but I want to dive into things that DBZ never addressed, like the early lives of #17 and #18 before they were captured by Gero, or Goku's time in the Other World (to those that have read ahead but are coming back to see this, don't worry, there will be flashbacks). If you have any feedback you'd like to offer, or any questions, comments, feel free to leave a review!

_(7/6) I'm looking for someone with a pretty sizeable knowledge of the Dragon Ball Z/Super/GT to discuss ideas with! If you're interested in helping out, send me a message. _

For my sanity (and for yours as well if you prefer organization), I've made a table of contents below for the story. I plan on updating at least once a month, but sometimes I'll update twice, or even three times.

**. . .**

**Cell Saga (Chapters 1-3)  
**Chapter 1: Rebirth  
Chapter 2: What Would My Father Do?  
Chapter 3: The Experiment Begins

**Yardrat/Hyperbolic Time Chamber Saga (Chapters 4-?)**  
Chapter 4: The Super Saiyan Problem  
Chapter 5: Let's Go to Yardart!  
Chapter 6: From You, a Very Long Time Ago  
Chapter 7: Spirit  
Chapter 8: ?


	2. What Would My Father Do?

"Let's take this from the top, shall we?" provoked Cell as he continued to stretch his limbs by loosening up his arm. But it was a ruse as Gohan could sense an incoming ki blast barreling towards him. He recognized the tactic, having seen him use it against his father in the later half of their battle. He grabbed Vegeta and dashed out of the way only to see the bio-android appear quicker than a blink in the sky. Energy bullets rained down on the teenager as if a fighter jet had him in its crosshairs. Cell looked down the gap between his fingers and began to grimace at the boy's evasive maneuvers.

Gohan could tell the bio-android grew tired of his incessant dodging. To be fair, he had done it a lot in their first fight where he refused to strike back at the monster out of a righteous sense of pacifism. Not to mention he was held back by the reasonable fear and dismay any 11-year-old would face when put up against a planet-busting menace that killed his father. But with the brain he had now, he was able to accept the weight of the world on his shoulders.

He was more limber and quick than ever. He took a moment to speed over to the Z Fighters and lay Vegeta at their feet, almost faster than they could even follow. Certainly faster than Cell could follow as he continued to unleash his fury on the ground where the teenager once was. The bio-android hadn't even noticed he left.

_This is too easy_, the young warrior thought to himself as he prepared to strike back. Ki blasts continued to rain down in what seemed like an attempt to keep him at a distance. He braced himself and took off towards the battlefield. The ground cracked beneath his shoes as he sprung himself at the bio-android and socked him in the face. He was sent soaring into a collection of mountains far off into the distance, all of which collapsed on him in a magnificent fashion. The carnage could be both heard and felt to the Z Fighters back on the battlefield miles away, and in a nearby town just on the other side of the range.

Krillin knelt down to tend to the unconscious Vegeta who had since dropped out of his transformation from exhaustion. He could still feel the prince's energy, though it felt dull in comparison to its usual rough and almost electric aura. But his attention was quickly refocused to the range of mountains where he and the other Z Fighters last saw Cell disappear into. A few quiet and somewhat uneasy moments passed as they anxiously awaited for any signs of the bio-android's counterattack. They knew that this fight was far from over, but what really had their attention was Gohan.

"How in the world did he just do that? He didn't even go Super Saiyan 2!" remarked Krillin.

"It's… incredible," said Tien as a few shivers trickled down his spine. "To think that Gohan possesses this level of power even _after_ that boost Cell got on his revival… You guys feel it as well, right? He's become a lot more powerful!"

"It isn't just Gohan's power though," Yamcha pointed out. "Remember? Goku fought Cell first, and Gohan's already fought him before too. He can read him like a book now!"

Piccolo remained quiet as he continued to examine the boy. Not only did he use his eyes and ki sense, but used his natural heightened hearing as well. His eyes showed him how the boy moved and his ki sense allowed him to feel the control the boy had over his own energy, but his ears allowed him to hear the impact the punch had deep into Cell's body. There was a reason why Cell hadn't emerged from the wreckage for a full minute now.

"Cell's hurt," Piccolo revealed. "I can hear it- his breathing is labored and his energy dropped a bit. It may not be by much, but it's noticeable. His power may not play as big of a part in this as his skill does, but his power is certainly incredible. It seems he's finally realized his potential and become a true warrior."

The Namekian was forced to pause as the mountains began to shift. Soon after they did, the entire range was decimated in a sinister green light. Cell rose, like a demon amongst a backdrop of bloodshed. There was an unexpected smile on his face, where Gohan expected to see quite a bit of rage.

"Well, well, seems you're even stronger than I initially thought!" the monster suddenly applauded with a delighted chuckle. "I doubt even Goku knew you possessed this much power, and only in your Super Saiyan form."

As the emerald light of death continued to shower the landscape, Cell took the time to hide his strained breathing. _Damn him. That punch hurt. But how? How can he have this much power at his current level?! It's… even higher than my regular Perfect state. _

Gohan raised a curious eyebrow at the bio-android as he waited for the light to cease, but it seemed to persist. He was no fool and knew that the monster was buying time in order to use Piccolo's cells to heal himself. With the amount of force behind the punch he threw, he knew he had to have felt it. But he intended to wait.

After all, he would never get the chance to see just how powerful he truly was at this age.

Cell felt the rest of his pain wash away in just a few more seconds. But he knew better than to rush back in or fire a barrage of ki blasts. That would just result in him taking another unguarded punch to the face. But he knew he had to do something.

"I'll show you to not take our bout seriously," Cell sneered as he prepared to attack once more. His index finger rose into the air and a familiar electricity began to crackle at his fingertip. A small, black orb began to form, filled with the malicious energy of the space tyrant that used the move before him- Frieza's Death Ball.

The teenager just stood there, face bright with a smile so smug that he could feel the monster's anger in the air. "Go ahead, Cell. _Take your perfect shot._"

"Take this!" raged Cell as he threw the Death Ball at the boy.

Gohan prepared himself and thrust his arm out forward. He caught the ball with minimal effort, but could sense the monster's energy signature jump from the mountains to strike him from behind. There was no doubt in the young warrior's mind that he just used Instant Transmission. He turned around just in time to meet a Super Kamehameha thrown by the bio-android at point blank range. The battlefield erupted in a bright blue explosion as he took the blast head on, leaving the Z Fighters to look on with unease.

Cell backed away, pleased with the amount of power he was able to pack in the blast. "There's no way he should have been able to survive that. Both of those blasts had my full power."

As the dust settled, Gohan was nowhere to be seen. The bio-android began to laugh, finding amusement in his supposed victory over the teenager. "What a fool! After all that talk, he stupidly perished against my perfect power!"

"_Think again,"_ said Gohan from behind.

Cell whipped around just in time to have a hole blown through his stomach by his own Death Ball. A smile stretched across the teenager's face as the monster's blood and guts dripped messily about. Through the hole, the boy could see the black orb dissipated in the distance.

Cell's voice shook with anger and pain as blood erupted from his mouth. But he still found the strength to insult the boy. "You miserable little wretch!"

Gohan chuckled at the state of the self-proclaimed perfect being. "I think you're the miserable one. Just look at yourself. This is just embarrassing."

"You… you think this is funny?"

"Just a little."

"Then laugh at this!" Cell roared. He threw his hands up in an attempt to use the Solar Flare technique but before he could even reach his head, he found his hands were ripped off. Pain rippled up his arms and throughout his whole body. It made its way out of his mouth by way of an anguished scream that echoed throughout the wastelands.

Gohan ignited his palm with ki and burned the monster's hands to a crisp. "It's almost incredible how much your arrogance blinds you from the truth."

Cell struggled to stay on his feet, pain nearly crippling him as his body worked exhaustively to repair itself. "Wh- What are you talking about?" he demanded to know.

"You know, it stands to reason that one would learn from their previous mistakes in life. But I've come to realize that you aren't a reasonable being, Cell." Gohan began to approach Cell. Each footstep caused the bio-android's heart to skip a beat. Meanwhile, the boy's aura began to swell with his rising emotions. His power started to climb higher and higher.

"You're so obsessed with being perfect," he continued. "I'll show you a realm of power you'll never know."

The bio-android shook in his artificial boots. That anger he felt earlier when emerging from the wreckage of the mountains returned full force. His body healed itself yet again, and the wastelands were subsequently ignited in a fiery emerald blaze. He was unable to hear the teenager's words, much less able to accept them. "I will not allow this to stand! How?! How can a mere child surpass me?!"

"You had no hope from the very beginning, and even less hope now. I don't think you'll ever truly understand just how outclassed you are. You may have come back stronger, but you're still just as much of a fool as you were before."

The boy's rage manifested bolts of lightning that flew from his body and scorched the ground beneath him. "You were right, Cell. I don't think my father knew how powerful I could become. To be honest, I never knew I was this powerful either, but it makes sense now. Do you remember back to our first fight? I dodged every attack with ease. I've not only come to realize my full potential, but there's something else, too- _I'm not scared of you or anything anymore, Cell._"

The weight of the boy's increasing power began to bear down on him like a raging hurricane tearing through the skies. His aura expanded as his energy suddenly shot up into a realm that neither Cell nor the other Z Fighters could hardly comprehend anymore. With a sharp yell, he ascended to the next level once again, this time drawing out the power of the form to its fullest. He could hear his father from Other World cheering him on, a stark contrast to the intense rallying he had to do when he faced Cell in his other life.

"That's my boy!" beamed Goku as he tuned in to the battle with King Kai's telepathy.

King Kai quivered at the intensity of the boy's energy. "That's some boy you've raised, Goku. I always knew he had the potential to surpass you, but this is unprecedented. Something's changed within him."

Goku continued to smile proudly as he surmised, "I guess seeing Cell against must've lit a fire in him. Just look at him out there! He wasn't even a Super Saiyan 2 and he still managed to make a dent in Cell. And now… there's no way Cell can win."

King Kai found himself to agree with the Saiyan, something that hardly ever happened. But there was something about the boy's control and focus that allowed him to feel confident in what he was about to say: "I think this battle is very nearly over, Goku. Now that Gohan's shown Cell he's outmatched, the only thing left to do is put an end to him for good, and something tells me he won't be making the same mistake twice."

Back on the battlefield, Gohan finished calling forth the full power of his recently achieved Super Saiyan 2. His current level brought back memories of his Kamehameha struggle against Cell in his past life. It matched the peak of his performance when he was able to not only overwhelm the bio-android with just one arm, but effortlessly encroach upon him and force him into oblivion.

Gohan gazed up at the monster, now standing face to face with him once more. "For taking my father away from me, and for taking away so many innocent lives and families, I'm gonna make sure I take _everything_ from you."

For the second time in his life, Cell felt true, unbridled fear. But he knew jumping away and firing a massive Kamehameha wasn't going to do him any good this time. In fact, he knew that there would be nothing that could save him from the wrath of the boy now. The massive disparity between their power levels was unable to be ignored, and even his arrogance began to dwindle in the face of his certain death.

But every fiber of his being called for him to try. There had to be something he could do.

That was when it came to him- the urge to fly into the sky and raise his hands up in a very familiar fashion. "Alright planet, give me that stupid energy!"

Gohan could hardly believe his eyes as he witnessed Cell, a being of pure evil and malice, attempt to do something so unprecedented that it almost made him laugh. "Are you really going to try and use a Spirit Bomb? You're going to be disappointed. I don't think someone as evil as you can use a technique that requires a pure heart."

"That's what you think," Cell called down to the boy as he smirked at his know-it-all attitude. Much to the surprise of the young warrior and the Z Fighters collectively, a ball of energy began to form above him. Before Gohan even had a chance to attack, the bio-android threw up a Perfect Barrier to protect himself. Remembering back to his father's fight, he knew that shield would absorb any ki attack thrown at it.

Gohan looked down to see blades of verdant green grass quickly wilt and rot. The soil and dirt lost their fine, coarse quality and began to crumble into dust as the life seemed to be drained out of it. A horrifying realization came to him as he looked back to see his friends fall to the ground one by one. Their energy signatures faded rapidly and all at once, he was reminded of the deaths of his friends by the hands of Moro. He could picture their disheveled corpses now, strewn about with almost nothing left to him. _He's forcefully taking energy from the living things on this planet._ As he came to realize this, he could feel his own power dwindle.

But Gohan remained calm. He could have gotten angry, but he remembered something his father from his own timeline once said during a critical moment in the Tournament of Power.

_"Seventeen actually turned out to be a pretty good guy in the end," said Goku in the midst of the android's sudden, but faux, sacrifice. "That makes this even harsher… I hate that it happened, but getting mad about it won't solve anything. I need to keep growing. My days of letting everyone down are over."_

Like his father in that critical moment of the Tournament of Power, he would keep growing. It was time he became the person his friends and family could count on. To become the warrior his father always knew he could be.

Gohan sprung into action. His father's words coursed through him. Like fire, they consumed everything. Rage, hatred, sadness- whatever he felt burned away as he approached the monster. In this moment, he had asked himself one simple question. A simple question that would result in history being changed forever.

_What would my father do?_

Somehow, Gohan knew exactly what to do. His fist pulled back and his aura focused into a golden outline around his body. Energy began to gather around his fist, focused into such a fine point that he could cut through anything with it. And cut through anything he would.

**"SUPER DRAGON FIST!"** cried the young teenager. His body exploded with ki, a golden dragon taking his place that would smash through the Perfect Barrier as if it were nothing. But he wouldn't stop there. The dragon continued its ceaseless rampage and bore down on Cell, who had almost finished absorbing the Spirit Bomb. It was far too late for the bio-android to do anything except feel his torso be ripped wide open by the attack. Fear and pain like nothing before rippled through him, but something far worse was to come.

Gohan emerged on the other side of Cell, looking back as he clutched an unconscious, blood-covered Android 17 in his arms.

The Z Fighters, along with Goku and King Kai, all gawked in complete disbelief. Even Gohan looked down, surprised that he was able to pull off such a feat.

"Th- That can't be!" said a baffled Yamcha. "Is that really Android 17?! How did he do that?"

"Never mind that!" cried Tien, eyes trained on Cell. "Something's happening to Cell!"

Cell could hardly turn his head to swear back at the boy. His body had already begun to change, just as it did before. But this time, his power seemed to plummet to considerable lows. It paled in comparison to the power of his Semi-Perfect form earlier and soon suffered such a sharp decline that it was almost hard for even him to bear. He, and Gohan, as well, would come to realize a startling fact that not only had Cell just lost his Perfect form, but also lost the ability to retain even his Semi-Perfect form. Upon his revival, he was able to regain his Perfect form, but since Android 18 was already liberated from his being earlier, this left him with just Android 17, who was conveniently brought back with Cell when he regenerated.

And now, without either Androids 17 and 18, Cell found himself back in his Imperfect form.

Gohan touched down in front of Krillin and lay the unconscious android next to his sister. "Watch over them," he told him. "I still have some unfinished business."

Cell quivered as the boy returned to the battlefield. His tail slapped the ground in anger as he cried, "No, no, no! This can't be happening! Not again!"

Gohan wasted no time in lowering himself into a runner's take-off stance. Cell looked at the boy and suddenly felt a wave of panic that flooded through his body. Certain Namekian fibers of his being screamed out in danger. "Wh- What is this? What's he doing?!" he demanded to know.

Piccolo eyed the teenager with a smirk as he had experienced this stance before. "Watch out, Cell! That's gonna hurt!"

Even Goku in the Other World looked down at his son with a delighted smile. "Hehe! I taught him that! I wonder where he got that other attack from though…"

King Kai looked back at the Saiyan with a hinting smirk. "That other flashy move seems like something you'd use, though."

"It _was_ pretty cool," Goku responded.

Back on Earth, Cell prepared himself. But nothing would have saved him from the boy's elbow, slamming into his face like a truck. He stumbled back, almost losing his footing. But before he could even think about steadying himself, a wave of kicks and punches assaulted him. The boy's attacks struck against his imperfect body like a combination of meteors raining down on him before one final punch to the gut that would leave him in a crumpled heap on the ground.

Cell watched in horror as the boy sprung into the air, eclipsing the sun. Energy began to charge in between his cupped hands. There was nothing he could do anymore. He couldn't even run- his body was so exhausted from having to repair itself so many times, and not to mention from the previous attack, that he was unable to move.

"This for my father!" Gohan cried as he launched the most powerful Super Kamehameha of his younger life. A massive wave of blue cascaded over the bio-android and consumed him. There was nothing left of the monster, not even the nucleus that was left in-tact last time. Cell was erased from the face of the Earth. And with this heroic act from the 11-year-old, history in this timeline would be changed forever.

Whether this change would be good or bad remains to be unseen, but Gohan looked up at the sky with a sense of accomplishment. Though his defeat against Moro hung over him like storm clouds, a clear, blue sky welcomed the sun to shine down on him as his second chance would officially begin here and now.


	3. The Experiment Begins

Gohan kept his eyes fixed on the battlefield. He expanded his ki sense rather anxiously, feeling up to distances as far as Mars. His fingers trembled at the sense of nothing other than the other living beings on the Earth, almost as if he were expecting something. _I have to make sure he's not going to try and come back this time. If he does, I know he has to originate in the same spot. I'm sure I destroyed the nucleus, but for some odd reason something feels off… There's another presence in the air. Something… strange. I feel like I'm being watched, and not by my friends._

"Gohan!" cried Krillin as he rushed into the sky to tackle the teenager with a congratulatory hug. "You did it! You really did it!"

The boy began to black out as the man had his muscular arms wrapped around his neck. Not expecting the hug, even in his elevated state, he hadn't had a chance to brace himself. He was oddly reminded of his father's battle against Golden Frieza, how he fell to a ray gun fired by Sorbet once he dropped out of his Super Saiyan Blue form. _I'd better be more careful,_ thought the boy, still on guard. _Maybe I should try to relax now… I just compared a hug to a fight._

A thick hand materialized on the boy's shoulder. He looked back to see Piccolo with a proud smile stretched across his face. "You did well, Gohan. You've really grown into a fine warrior. I'm proud of you."

He felt his eyes well up, burning uncontrollably with tears as he released the tension of his transformed state. His head then instinctively turned up, as if he were looking towards the Other World. There was the feeling that his father was watching over him, and in all actuality, he was.

Gohan turned his attention back to the battlefield for a brief moment. He sensed nothing and was finally able to relax. "Looks like Cell is gone for good this time. Thank goodness this nightmare is over."

"You're telling me," agreed Tien as he and Yamcha joined them. "But what should we do about those two?"

The five turned their attention to the three bodies on the ground away from the battle site. Of the three, they knew the man was speaking directly about Androids 17 and 18, who lay just a few yards away from the dead Future Trunks.

Yamcha began to look around, searching for something. Or rather, someone. "I say we find Vegeta and have him help us annihilate those two androids once and for all."

"I agree," concurred Piccolo as he began to charge a ki blast in his hand. "In fact, I think Gohan and I could take care of these two ourselves if we wanted to."

"I'll go get Trunks out of the way," Yamcha said as he began to dash toward his body.

Krillin suddenly threw himself in the way of his friend, nearly colliding with him. Thankfully Yamcha stopped just in time to hear the man's fervent pleas. "H- Hey, hold on a second!" he requested, face beginning to blush as he looked down at 18. "Maybe we should think about this before we go killing them."

"Are you out of your mind?" questioned Tien.

Krillin threw the man's hands off of him and backed away. "Come on, man. Seventeen and Eighteen were victims of Doctor Gero. He robbed them of their lives and turned them into cyborgs! They're not bad people. Even Trunks said they were different from the ones in his timeline."

Piccolo shot a sharp glare at Krillin as he asked in rage, "Did you not remember they made sport out of hunting Goku down? Not to mention the fact that they've killed dozens of people!"

Krillin shot back, quick as a whip, "But it pales in comparison to the thousands Cell's killed. I don't think these two would've done any of the stuff they did if they weren't under Doctor Gero's control. It wasn't a game to them. It was a mission they _had_ to complete. I saw some of the research that we stole from Doctor Gero's lab. He had his own voice play on an endless loop inside of their heads, _"Destroy Son Goku."_ If you were kept a prisoner and had done horrible things to you, all while having to hear that day in and day out, wouldn't you be willing to do anything to make it stop? Besides, they even killed Doctor Gero! They hated him just as much as we did. He robbed them of their humanity. Let's not rob them of the one thing they have left: a second chance."

The Z Fighters collectively fell silent, unable to muster a response to the surprising compassion towards the androids. Though they kept in mind his obvious attraction towards 18, they were all still shocked to see him argue for 17's survival as well. Krillin could tell that none of them knew what to make of his words, especially the young Gohan who appeared to be the most bewildered of them all. _Well, I guess that's to be expected. They __**did**__ try to kill his dad after all… Maybe I'm not thinking clearly._

Gohan stood, floored by the man's speech. _Holy crap. This is nothing like the Krillin I know. I mean, sure he stuck up for the androids and convinced us in the end but he never went into depth on what it was like for them. I… never knew Seventeen was dealing with all of that. It must have been so shocking for him to see my dad after all that time, even though he's never one to exactly wear his emotions on his sleeve. I know it had to have at least affected him in some sort of way. And for Eighteen, too._

Suddenly, he knew what he needed to do. In this first moment of history in his new life, he said these words:

"I think everything will be okay. Krillin's right, we should have some sympathy for them. Plus, it isn't like my dad would want them to be killed anyway. He even tried to shake Sixteen's hand when we arrived. Sixteen refused it, but that's all he did."

"But he delivered some threat when he refused, I heard," Yamcha pointed out. "I'm just saying we shouldn't be giving these guys a reason to come back stronger and try to do it again."

_Strange,_ Gohan thought to himself. _I don't recall Yamcha being this against the return of the androids. How different are things here? _"Oddly enough, my dad would probably love the challenge," he said, thinking back to how much his father would talk about the android after the Tournament of Power. But he said this with a bit of trepidation, knowing that his father would ultimately choose to stay in the Other World. He said it without even skipping a beat, knowing that if he said anything before they tried to wish him back and he explained himself, he would be questioned. Perhaps it was anxiety over somehow being discovered, even though it would be impossible for anyone to figure it out. But he couldn't deny that deep down, a part of him felt guilty for deceiving his friends like this.

"If he can't beat them, then I will," the teenager added.

Yamcha conceded with a sigh. "Well, you are the strongest now. If anyone could do it, it would be you."

_I wonder if he's jealous that Krillin got 18, Vegeta got Bulma, and he never wound up with someone,_ Gohan suddenly thought to himself. _Whoa,_ he recoiled, _that was kind of… rude. I guess I need to be a little careful. I may have the mind of an adult, but all of that power coursing through my body… Not only that, but I'm pretty sure I'm going through puberty too... Looks like I'll need to retrain my emotions. Maybe I can resharpen my senses with Piccolo after this._

He chuckled at how much he sounded like his father, so hellbent on training and improving himself.

Krillin dashed down to retrieve both 17 and 18, while Yamcha hoisted Trunks' body over his shoulder. Piccolo looked out into the open skies to see Vegeta, hovering off in the distance. His head was held low, as if he were mourning for something. It certainly couldn't have been for the loss of Goku, but Gohan remembered that on this day, Vegeta seemed to distance himself. To be fair, the prince was always rather distant from them. But something changed in him. That same something would lead to his willingness to fall under Babidi's influence in the future.

_Maybe I should look into that…_ Gohan said to himself. As the prince retired somewhere unknown, the Z Fighters set out for the Lookout. There, they would meet up with Bulma and equip themselves with a Dragon Radar to embark on a quest to obtain the Dragon Balls once more. Future Trunks, 17, and 18 were left under the watchful care of Dende and Mr. Popo as the warriors dashed across the planet in pursuit of the wish-making orbs.

Gohan touched down in a range of open rolling fields with neighboring mountains. Near a collection of plateaus and cliffs just on the edge of the plains, he followed a blip on the radar to a familiar stretch of land. There was a crater off to the side, reminding the teen of the craters made from the Attack Ball that Raditz arrived in. And dead in the center was the Four-Star Dragon Ball. At first, it crossed his mind that the Dragon Ball simply must have fallen to the ground with an unusual amount of force, but as he went to jump in and retrieve it, he was overcome with a wild sense of familiarity.

"I know this place," he said aloud, turning back to see a memory play out of Raditz standing over his young father. He could hear the Saiyan's voice now, riddled with shock at the readings on his scouter when he broke out of the space pod and attacked.

"This is the place where it all started," said a voice.

Gohan whipped around. _I know that voice,_ he said, this time to himself. It was of the same whimsical, almost playful tone as the voice that he heard upon his death. He turned to see a strange man. With the purple skin and pointed ears similar to a Supreme Kai, he could tell this person was at least not of Earthling descent. Though he largely resembled a Supreme Kai, he also bore a faint resemblance to someone else that Gohan couldn't quite place. His eyes, blood red, looked at the warrior with intense curiosity, but a smile conveyed a sense of warmness that betrayed his somewhat mysterious look. _So he's where that weird energy was coming from..._

"Who are you?" he questioned the unknown man. "You're the one I heard when I died, right? Are you responsible for this?"

"Geez, Gohan. You should have just kept quiet after the first question. Don't ask what you're already certain of," the man suddenly began to explain in a rather bored tone. "I thought you were smarter than that. Didn't Piccolo teach you better?"

Gohan narrowed his eyes at the man. "Tell me who you are and what you did."

"Alright, alright," the man said with a defeated sigh. "My name's Fu, and yes, I'm the one responsible for your second chance here. I've gotta say, so far so good! I was a little worried you might mess things up again, but you were in control of the situation the whole time _and_ you managed to keep things interesting, too! I think I made the right choice in an experiment like this."

"Experiment? What are you talking about?" the boy pressed.

Fu smirked as he pushed his glasses up, trying to hold back a boastful, proud gesture. "Well, you see, you're part of an experiment, Gohan. I want to see if you've really got what it takes to become a hero. You've had such explosively powerful moments and power-ups throughout your life, all while being naturally strong- it wouldn't be too far off the mark to think that you'd be the strongest, on par with Vegito or Gogeta even. But I think there's definitely some stuff holding you back, and I want to see if, given a second chance where things are just a wee bit different, would you actually become the hero of the story? … Plus, that ending with Moro becoming unstoppable was a bit dreary, don't you think? I like happy endings."

Gohan stood there, paralyzed by confusion and some other form of emotion that he couldn't describe. He wanted to be happy that this was genuine and not just some false memory his brain created to comfort him in his death. But his emotions, not from the young body he was in now, but of his true self, festered.

"So you think this is all some sort of game? You threw me back in time to this?! My family, my friends are all gone! What right did you have to throw me all the way back here?"

"Because…" Fu began to explain, "this is where I believe the root of your problems began. This was the pivotal moment you were meant to take over, but something happened and you grew… comfortable. By the time Majin Buu came around, Goku and Vegeta had far surpassed you, but still couldn't hold a candle to you when the Old Kai unlocked your potential. Even after all of that time, you still naturally possessed power high above their own. And yet… you still botched things pretty hard. It seemed like you still never learned from your mistakes and succumbed to your power once again. And by the time you learned how to overcome it, you were just a fraction of how strong you really could have been in the Tournament of Power had you kept up with your training your whole life."

Gohan remained quiet, unsure of what to say. The strange-looking man had nailed it right on the nose, and surmised that he must have known as well that he felt guilty for not keeping up with his training. Fu was exactly right; Gohan had allowed peace to make him complacent. But it was as it should have been for the young boy. To have such a heavy responsibility placed on the shoulders of a developing child, of course he would shy away from training every once in a while. And every once in a while would turn into occasionally, an occasionally would turn into often, until finally the only training he ever did after the defeat of Cell was play fighting with his brother. Though Goten was powerful for his age, it still amounted to nothing more than rough-housing until he began to train with him for the twenty-fifth World Martial Arts Tournament. Even then, Gohan was going easy on him and did it more for the benefit of his brother to put up a better fight against Trunks.

"I know you feel guilty," Fu observed, "but this is your chance to change things. Admittedly, yes this is an experiment for me, this is also a second chance for you. Like I said earlier, dreary endings aren't my thing, and I don't do these kinds of things willy nilly unless I'm confident in my test subjects. I like to keep things interesting and boy is your history interesting. I've visited multiple timelines and in each one of them, I've always viewed you as somewhat of a wildcard. You have an immense amount of potential but you never seemed to act on it. Until now, that is. Besides, you still have your friends and family with you! They're not some illusion or anything- it's really them."

Gohan took a moment to process the man's explanation. Whatever feelings of deceit or being viewed as just a variable faded considerably, but he still had his reserves towards him. However, there was one thing the time meddler said that stuck out.

"What did you mean when you said things were a bit different?"

Fu chuckled at the question. "Well, you've already experienced a few differences in your friends, haven't you? How Krillin was more willing to stick up for the androids and how Yamcha was a little more hesitant this time around? That was the first of the many changes you'll experience."

Gohan narrowed his eyes again at the man, this time as he anxiously thought about Videl and Pan. "What about my family?"

"Well now that's tricky," Fu chuckled a little nervously. "Technically speaking, you _could_ get them back, but you could just as well not get them back. Any one of these changes I made could have a butterfly effect that would result in you two getting together. But just by that same token, it could result in you two not getting together. And it goes without saying that the fate of Pan is entirely dependent on the fate of you and Videl."

"You've got to be kidding me… Are you seriously saying that I might have lost Pan and Videl forever?!"

"Listen, you wanted things to be different and they're different. This is all to make you a better warrior so you can beat Moro. If you keep holding on to your past life like this, then you'll just wind up like a piece of burnt bacon drifting in space all over again."

Though the man spoke with a matured calmness, the childish look of glee in his eyes betrayed it just a bit. Gohan could tell that every second of this was riveting, but still felt inclined to further inquire about the situation. "So what changes have you made? Am I allowed to know any of them?"

Fu shot the boy a narrowed glare of his own, but with a bit of a disappointed frown. "Do you really expect me to just tell you? That's like spoiling the entire plot of a story!"

"But if you're giving me a second chance, shouldn't I know what's coming so I can prepare myself?"

"Well, you didn't really know the first time, so why should you know the second time? Besides, to an extent, you already know some things that _might_ happen. I may have changed some stuff around, but nothing _too_ drastic I'd say. If you're going to have a shot at beating Moro, you're gonna have to do things very differently this time, Gohan. I mean, to be completely honest, who knows if any of these changes I've made have a ripple effect onto Moro and make things different from how they originally played out for you? Being a hero is about being ready for anything. If I just give you all of the answers then you're not gonna learn everything. In order to become a hero, you have to go through a hero's journey."

Gohan folded his arms, attempting to hide his unhappiness at the situation. He did desperately wish for this second chance and was still grateful, but this future filled with uncertainty worried him to his core. He almost went to ask about his future wife and child once again, but stopped himself as he knew he wouldn't be getting anything out of the mysterious man. Speaking of his mysteriousness, there was a question that Gohan had for him, but asked with a bit of hesitancy.

"Are you affiliated with the race of Core People that act as Supreme Kais? Forgive me, you just look similar to them."

"Oh gosh, no way!" Fu laughed. "In fact, I'm the complete opposite. See, I'm a Demon. But don't let that worry you! I'm not a bad guy or anything. Just consider me a helpful scientist. … Also, not gonna lie, little racist."

"Well, at any rate, thank you for this," he said a little hesitantly. "I'm sorry if I seemed ungrateful earlier. I guess I may just need some time to adjust. And also sorry for generalizing you."

"That's understandable! You've had quite the jarring experience. But I'm confident if anyone can pull this off and defeat that nasty Moro, its you, Gohan."

Gohan began to steel himself with determination, resolve to improve himself coursing through him like a raging river. Fu could see in the teenager's eyes that he meant business and smiled back at him.

"Alrighty then," the Demon said as he began to wave at the boy. "I'll be watching from my lab. If you need anything, just give me a holler. All you've gotta do is just yell my name and I'll come right to ya."

With that, the scientist disappeared. Gohan stood for a moment, needing some time to fully process the reaction. But he didn't have time. There was a Dragon Ball right in front of him, and the sooner they gathered them, the quicker they could revive their friends and fix the damage from the terror of Cell and the androids.

Gohan returned to the Lookout with the Four-Star Ball and another Dragon Ball he later located deep at the bottom of a stream. The rest of the Z Fighters returned with their collected Dragon Balls and Shenron was summoned against the black backdrop that always accompanied him.

The first wish was made to restore the lives of those lost during the rampage of Cell and the androids as a whole. Their next wish, which Gohan had to brace himself for, was for Goku to be revived. But as Shenron broke the news that the wish couldn't be granted, that was when they heard the Saiyan's voice from Other World as he explained how it would be better for him and the safety of the world as a whole if he didn't come back. Though everyone understood, the devastation could still be felt amongst them.

Gohan thought briefly for a moment. What his father said was technically true- Raditz, Nappa, Vegeta, and later Frieza and King Cold were all threats that visited the Earth for him. With the addition of the Red Ribbon Army and subsequently Dr. Gero and his creations, his father's explanation was solid. Though this would later be disproved by Babidi's visit to Earth, as well as the later appearance of the God of Destruction, the advent of Zamasu and Goku Black and the Tournament of Power as a whole were things the young teenager took into consideration. The latter situation did give them a fighting chance when they originally had one, he still found it rather strange that gods would make the lower realms compete for their survival.

But these were thoughts for a different time. Right now, there was something he had to say to his father. Something he always wanted to say, but with conviction.

"Don't worry, Dad. I promise I'll keep everyone safe, and I'll continue to grow stronger. Just like you." _But for me. And not just for me, but for everyone._

Though they couldn't see it, Goku had the biggest smile stretched across his face. He was able to leave the world in the hands of his son, who he could now say beyond a shadow of a doubt, that he would make him proud. He already did, and he knew the only place the boy could go was up.

With that settled, Krillin used the final wish to remove the bombs that were placed in Androids 17 and 18, who were both still unconscious. As the magic removed a piece of their bodies, 17 seemed to shift a bit until he jolted awake. He immediately scanned his surroundings and recognized the Z Fighters standing in front of a massive dragon just before it disappeared. It was as if he were looking at something out of a manga book. But even so, he was immediately able to register the dragon as Shenron. The great doctor had been kind enough to implant him with all of the research he had acquired over the years. He could almost hear Gero's voice telling him to destroy the strange wish-granting spheres to prevent Goku from ever being revived.

But as he lay there unconscious, and yet at the same time not entirely unconscious, he managed to overhear snippets of the conversation the Z Fighters had with who he assumed to be Goku, and managed to put two and two together.

"So, Goku's gone for good and you took those nasty explosives out of us?" inquired the android as he stood up and brushed the dirt off his clothes. He eyed Krillin a bit uneasily, though his face remained rather still and emotionless. "Geez, you couldn't have at least taken me out to dinner first? I feel like we've already gotten to third base. If this is your weird way of getting with my sister then I think you're gonna need a different approach"

Krillin was stricken silent by the android's monotone, but annoyed and slightly angered tone. But Gohan could see the look in 17's eyes. He looked panicked, his eyes kept shooting around to each of them as if he were making sure none of them were going to try anything. _He's got every reason to be worried. After all, me, Trunks, or even Piccolo could defeat them at this point. And to wake up after the last thing he probably saw was Cell devouring him… I'd probably lash out and want to blow off some steam like that too. Especially if someone were being as nice as Krillin was. Funny how he shows so much emotion by not showing much at all._

"We don't think you're bad," Gohan finally said. "Trust me, we mulled it over and we agreed that you guys deserve a second chance in life. But… try anything funny and I'll stop you guys. Understand?"

17 eyed the boy strangely before being able to fully register that this was the son of Son Goku that addressed him. He knew the boy's voice sounded familiar as it matched the voice clips he heard of a younger Goku. And though he didn't possess the ability to sense the boy's level of power, he could tell this was someone he didn't want to mess with.

"Well, guess I should thank you," 17 smirked. "But you'd better be careful, Krillin. My sister is hard to impress." He stopped to pick up his still unconscious sister and prepared to take off. Before doing so, he looked back at the young Gohan with something to add. "See you 'round, kid."

Gohan watched as the man took off. Trunks approached him, eyes filled with uncertainty. "Are you sure about this?" he asked. "They could come back even stronger."

"They will," Gohan said with a knowing smirk. "But not in the way you might think. I don't think they're bad people. I'm sure we'll see them again," he finished, winking at Krillin.

With that, the Z Fighters made their way home. Krillin, Yamcha, and Tien would return to their own homes, Piccolo would stay at the Lookout to assist Dende in his duties as Earth's Guardian, Trunks prepared to depart in the Time Machine the next day, and Gohan returned to his mother. He explained to her that his father, her husband, would remain in the Other World for the second time, and he had to watch her heart break for the second time. But he was there for her again, through every step of grief and pain they both experienced as their lives progressed. She would soon find out that she was pregnant, having conceived just before the Cell Games, and later give birth to a healthy baby boy she named Goten.

However, with the arrival of his baby brother, Gohan discovered yet another change to his history. No doubt the work of Fu, but this was something rather substantial.

When the doctor held the young baby Goten in his arms to give to Chi-Chi, both she and her eldest son were shocked to see that the boy had spiky golden blond hair, strikingly similar to his father's when he was a Super Saiyan. A pair of blue eyes looked up curiously at the two when Chi-Chi accepted him into her arms. She had no ki sense, but could quite literally feel almost an electrifying sensation from him. Gohan, with his ki sense, could feel something far more. The same appearance as his father as a Super Saiyan, and the same intense, wild flow to his energy- there was no doubt in his mind anymore.

His baby brother was born as a Super Saiyan.

"And so the experiment begins..." smirked Fu as he examined his handiwork in the boy from a monitor.


	4. The Super Saiyan Problem

Goten dove behind a tree. Piccolo and Gohan were close by. He could feel their energy signatures in the sky above him. What's more, he could feel them expand their ki sense in an effort to locate him. He took a few deep breaths to steady his heart as it raced, pounding in his head like drums. His heart sped and the drums were beaten in anticipation of the duo finding him. These breaths had to be taken quietly. _Can't let Piccolo know I'm down here,_ the Super Saiyan reminded himself.

Blood trickled down his head from a vicious wound the Namekian dealt to him just minutes ago in a previous confrontation before he managed to get away from them. It stained the grass below him, causing his body to grow tense. He stifled a gasp, chest burning with exhaustion every time he took a breath.

_I really wish they would take it easy on me sometimes, _the four-year-old thought as he quivered against the trunk of his hiding spot. His body was wrought with waves of pain and cascades fear. He never feared his older brother nor his Namekian mentor, but they were anything but easy on the boy in their training sessions.

Gohan float overhead, expanding his ki sense to try and locate his younger brother. Though he searched rigorously, the only thing he could sense in the dense forest was the abundant wildlife. A proud smirk stretched across his lips as he thought to himself, _Good. He's finally managed to completely mask his presence. Hopefully with that can help him learn how to control his power._

Though he primarily focused on training his little brother, he also used the opportunity to keep his senses sharp as well. Just as his father did when they trained in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, he sought to improve himself with every chance he got. At times, he would briefly think back to his old life and how he grew comfortable around this age and neglected his training. He would play with his brother in the fields, rough housing and running through the trees- a stark contrast to hunting the boy just as Piccolo had trained him in his own childhood.

But then again, this Goten was a stark contrast from the one he originally grew up with.

Gohan descended into the forest and calmed his life force as he began to search through the thicket. _I never would have thought I'd need to learn how to completely mask my presence... But Goten's senses are so elevated that even the smallest noise could alert him. _

Goten leaned back against the tree, eyes surveying and ears open to the woods. He could tell his brother was in the forest with him. The fifteen-year-old may have learned how to render himself undetectable, Goten felt the tension in the air. Animals began to scurry about just a few yards away from him, no doubt startled by the appearance of his older brother. It was unavoidable, a natural instinct for animals to dash away by the sight of a human. This allowed him to know where Gohan was at all times, should he be on the ground at the very least.

But the animals didn't fear the Namekian. An Off-Worlder whose resemblance could be uncannily compared to certain animals on Earth allowed him to blend right in. And without reliance on the terrified animals, the Namekian closed right in on him.

Goten froze as he felt a wave of heat from a Special Beam Cannon blow inches past his face. The smell of the singed bark nearly overwhelmed his nose as he dashed away, deeper into the forest.

As he ran, he caught sight of the Namekian's shadow nearby. There was no mistaking that cape with those shoulder pads and how it always flowed behind him during flight. The Super Saiyan took note of the shadow's correlation to the Namekian's location in the sky and whipped back to unleash a focused ki blast. But as he looked toward the sky, he only saw the cape falling as if it had just been discarded.

_Oh shoot, it was a distraction!_ He thought to himself with a sneer as he sheathed his blast. _Great, now Gohan probably knows where I am too. _

No sooner did he finish that thought did his older brother appear. Goten reeled his arms back to fire a Kamehameha but Gohan put an end to that with a clock to the boy's jaw. The young Super Saiyan flew back against a nearby tree. Blood erupted from his mouth as he attempted to brace himself and remain standing. He looked up to see Piccolo descending to his brother's side. Their voices were faint, despite being just a few feet away from him. It sounded as if water had clogged the boy's ears, but he had been in enough training sessions to know he was losing consciousness. _D- Dang… They have me cornered. What am I gonna do?_

"Stand up. _Fight_," ordered Piccolo as he approached him.

Gohan looked at his brother, arms folded as he observed him clutching the bark of the tree. It began to splinter under the boy's strength and rising fear with the Namekian's imposing figure descending upon him.

Goten soon found himself engulfed in Piccolo's shadow, his tall stature blocking out what little sun shone through the trees. With the darkness that surrounded him, he could feel his heart pounding harder than ever. His fingers reflexively dug deeper into the tree behind him as he tried to stabilize himself with deep breaths. _Come on, just breathe. Breathe like Gohan taught you, _he reminded himself.

But as Piccolo continued to encroach upon the boy, now within spitting distance, he found his heart to race faster and faster. His breathing became more labored, as if his throat were closing shut. Gohan took notice of this and began to ball his fists up. _Come on, Goten. Stay in control. You can do it._

The young Super Saiyan's eyes darted back and forth, trying desperately to find an opening to escape. But no such opening existed. In each direction he looked in, trees surrounded him. Now that Piccolo was so close, there was no way he would be able to escape. Not to mention, even if he were to somehow get away from Piccolo, there would still be the intensely watchful eye of his older brother. What he needed was a distraction, and with any luck that distraction would soon arrive.

Piccolo now stood over the shaking boy, eyes of disappointment looking down at him. "You should know better than to freeze up like this. Now I have you trapped," he told the boy in a somewhat scolding manner. "Never let your enemy corner you. Always try to keep control of the battle-"

Goten took hold of clumps of bark and whipped them at the Namekian. They did little more than bounce off of his face in a rather unremarkable manner.

Piccolo eyed the boy rather oddly, confused. "What in the-"

A sudden kick sent him flying through a number of trees before crashing into a plateau on the outskirts of the forest. But it wasn't a kick that was delivered by Goten. Or rather, it wasn't a kick from the Goten that cowered by the tree.

Gohan stood, stunned to see a second Goten appearing to deliver the surprise blow to Piccolo. But before he could react, both of the Gotens were on him. Their hands flew up to their heads and unleashed a double Solar Flare that burned the teenager's eyes. Gohan reeled back, hands over his face as he winced in pain.

A smirk ran across both of the Super Saiyans' faces as they threw their hands up once more, palms facing their older brother as they charged a Masenko. _We've got him!_ They both thought with glee.

Gohan could sense the energy building in front of him and leapt into action. His foot sunk into the gut of one Goten while his fist struck the other's head. The two were knocked senseless and crumpled to the ground, energy dispersing from their hands.

The Goten that received the blow to the gut faded into a culmination of energy that returned to the true Goten that was dealt the vicious head injury.

Gohan's vision soon returned and he saw his brother on the ground, motionless but still alive. "I wasn't expecting the Multi Form technique. You almost got me!"

Piccolo touched down by the teenager, neck red from the kick dealt to him. "Not bad, Goten. You remind me a lot of your father," he commented.

Goten felt his heart jump at the mention of his absent father. His aura began to swell and run jagged as his thoughts grew less and less coherent. _M- My father…?_

Gohan and Piccolo both kept their eyes trained on the boy. They could sense a change within him. His energy began to shoot up with his emotions on the rise. There was a pressure in his chest that made his heart race even faster than before. He clutched his ribcage, breaths just barely escaping out of his mouth as he fell to the ground.

Gohan rushed to his younger brother's side. "G- Goten! Are you okay?!"

He picked the Super Saiyan up only to see him unconscious, but still his power continued to grow. The young boy's face grew pale and damp with sweat, going completely limp in his brother's arms. "Oh no, he's lost control again! Piccolo, can you heal him again?"

"Stand back," ordered the Namekian as the teenager lay his brother down on the grass. Piccolo placed a hand on the boy's chest and felt his energy raging like a tornado inside of his small body. Though he was unconscious, he could only imagine the amount of pain the boy was still in.

He quickly began to draw from his own life force and channel it into the toddler via compressions. Slowly, but surely, the boy's heart began to slow and his energy calmed. But in turn, Piccolo had to work to steady himself on his feet. Now his vision wavered as he couldn't help but breathe heavily, overcome with a wave of exhaustion.

Gohan scooped up his brother and then rushed to his mentor's side to support him. "Are you okay, Piccolo?"

"Don't worry about me, I'm fine," he assured the teenager. "What about Goten?"

Gohan exhaled a sigh of relief as he looked down at the Super Saiyan who now rested peacefully. "He's going to be okay, but I'm concerned about you too. We can't keep going on like this."

"I hate to say it, but you're right," agreed the Namekian begrudgingly. "I don't know how much more of this power his body can take. Not only that, but it's been getting harder to heal him with how much stronger he's growing."

Gohan shuddered as he recalled the sight of his mentor just moments ago after healing his brother. "I thought all of this intensive training to get him to lower his power level would make him revert back to his base form. But if anything, he's only getting stronger, which is a problem."

"And yet this is the only kind of training he'll respond to. He won't sit still long enough for meditation and the Hyperbolic Time Chamber doesn't even faze him." the Namekian pointed out with heavy concern. "We have to get him to power down soon. If this keeps happening then all of that energy could kill him."

Gohan clutched his brother in his arms, concern almost causing his eyes to well up with tears. He was only four years old- there was no way his story could end before it hardly even had the chance to begin. _To think, becoming a Super Saiyan was supposed to be something positive. A rite of passage, even. But it's about to kill my brother. There has to be something we can do._

The teenager looked up as a firm hand gripped his shoulder. "Come on," Piccolo said, his voice bringing the boy out of his thoughts. "We won't find the answer standing around in the forest. Take your brother home and the two of you get some rest. We'll figure this out, Gohan."

"Right," Gohan affirmed, more for himself as he choked back his tears. With their training completed for the day, the two took off in opposite directions, Piccolo speeding towards the Lookout and Gohan returning home.

His mother was out hanging laundry on the line when her oldest son touched down behind her. She turned with a bright smile only to see her youngest passed out in the boy's arms. Her face immediately went pale with worry. "Oh my goodness! Goten, sweetie, are you okay?!" she asked, taking him into her arms. The mother couldn't help but shudder as she held her son's unconscious body. Though she had no ki sense, she could feel how limp and warm his body was. "Did he lose control again?"

"He did," Gohan answered hesitantly. She shot him a glare reminiscent of how she would look at his father after coming back from a training session and shirking his chores. "I'm sorry, Mom, but Piccolo and I have to teach him how to control his power. I know you disapprove of all the fighting, but-"

"Now hush, Gohan," his mother snipped. "Since that creature Cell nearly killed everyone, I've come to accept you having to fight every once in a while. What I can't accept is losing one of my baby boys. I'm just worried about his health."

Gohan stood, stunned that his mother would have such a change of heart. _But then again, if your son was born as a Super Saiyan, you'd probably want to do anything for him to get his power under control. Even if it meant fighting._

The teenager then hung his head in both shame and guilt for his failure in teaching his brother how to control his ki, but nothing weighed on him more than seeing the pain in his mother's face every time he would bring Goten home from training. This, coupled with his brother's rapidly deteriorating condition was enough to make him sick with worry and sadness.

He knew something had to be done. And soon.

**. . .**

Later that night once everyone had fallen asleep, Gohan snuck out of the window of his room. He knew he had school early in the morning, but this didn't stop him from dashing out into the dark and starry night. Once he climbed to a high enough altitude and put enough distance between himself and his home, he called out, "Fu!"

In mere moments, the mysterious scientist appeared out of thin air and smiled at the teenager. "Well hey there, Gohan! How's it going?"

"Not good," he replied. "I need your help with Goten. We're running out of options."

Fu shot the boy a curious glare. "What's the problem?"

"We've tried everything from soft training to intense training to meditation, and we still can't get his power under control," he explained.

"Ah, I see," nodded the demon with a knowing sigh. "The power of a Super Saiyan is a lot to handle, especially for an infant."

"So you understand then," Gohan pressed. "You know then that this _change_ you made to him has caused his body to be under so much stress that he was born with a weaker heart. This power is gonna kill him if we don't find a way for him to get it under control."

"Correction: he's gonna die if _you_ don't find a way to get it under control," the demon clarified. Before the teenager could fire back with rage, he continued to explain. "You haven't exhausted all of your options just yet. There's always a way. Besides, there's no way I can interfere. I'll screw up the results of the experiment if I just give you all the answers."

Gohan could only tighten his fist, emotions in his young body rising to the point where he considered hitting the scientist in his cheeky face. But he remembered the emotional training he'd undergone in his previous life and steadied himself with a deep breath. "Fine, if you say there's another way, then I won't dispute it. But can't I at least have a hint?"

"No way!" declared the scientist. "That's basically just like giving you the answer. Like I said, I can't poison the results of the experiment."

"This is more than some experiment! We're talking about Goten's life here!" he argued.

Fu let out a conflicted sigh. Gohan could see in the demon's eyes that he wanted to help, but there was an underlying smile underneath the tone of concern he displayed, as if he were enjoying seeing the teenager struggle with what to do. "I'm sorry, Gohan. All I can do is wish you the best of luck."

Before Gohan could say anything else, the scientist disappeared. He was left to float alone in the cold, dark sky without a clue of how to proceed. Thoughts of his brother both in this life and his previous one haunted him as he returned home. He barely slept a wink that night as his mind raced.

_I can't let Goten die. Not again,_ he thought to himself over and over again. _Come on, Gohan. Think. _

But as he continued to ponder the situation, no answers or remedies came to him. His fist, balled up in frustration, nearly punched a hole in his bed as he slammed it on the blanket.

_No,_ he scolded himself. _Stay calm. There's no sense in getting worked up over this. I need to remain clear-headed so I can think of something. What would my dad have done in this situation? … Probably train to overcome the stress and strain, but there isn't much Goten can do anymore without overloading himself. _

_Wait…_ Something came to him. He recalled the situation most recently where his baby brother's power overwhelmed him. _After dad first transformed, he went to Yardrat. Granted it wasn't out of choice, but he learned how to control the form there. I remember it was always tough for me to keep the form at first but my dad mentioned something he learned there… _

The sun began to rise over the horizon. Rays of light burst in between the curtains of his room and shone on his tired face. But as they broke through the shades, an idea seemed to break through the darkness of confusion that once clouded his mind.

"Spirit Control!" he declared. "I can't believe I didn't think of it before!"

His door opened. Chi-Chi entered with a yawn, still half asleep but having been woken up by her son's sudden proclamation. "Gohan, are you okay?"

He looked back at the clock to see it had just turned seven in the morning. In around thirty minutes, the boy would be due at school but even his mother could see that he had other plans.

"Mom, I know how to help Goten. Do you remember how when we thought Dad was lost in the explosion on Namek but it turned out he was on Yardrat? He learned how to control his Super Saiyan form there. Maybe if I take Goten there, we can-"

"Absolutely not," she responded, quick as a whip to explain, "there's no way you two are gonna go all the way across the universe to some godforsaken planet! He's just four and you're just fifteen. You guys don't even know what it's like on that planet! What if something happens to you?"

"I'll take Piccolo with me! But please, Mom, I think this is the only way we can get Goten's power under control," he pleaded.

Chi-Chi studied her son. She could see the determination in his eyes, but more importantly, she could see the confidence he displayed in his idea. It reminded her so much of her husband that it almost made her fret over the resemblance. But even she, who would originally be quick to denounce any sort of fighting or adventure, could see that this might be their only hope. Her son had a point, which she at times cursed.

After a long silence, she finally conceded with a soft smile. But it was quickly exchanged with a stern sneer as she warned him, "As long as you grab whatever homework you're gonna be missing. How long do you expect to be gone?"

Gohan paused to think for a moment. He hadn't considered the fact that he would be missing school, nor had he given any thought to how long such an adventure would take. But he knew he couldn't be gone for long, lest he face the chance of the school expelling him for an extended absence.

"Maybe a week or two?" he finally answered.

"Take three weeks," Chi-Chi insisted. "You're allowed to miss two weeks worth of absences at school, three if there's a family emergency involved. I'd say this constitutes a family emergency if anything."

"What are we supposed to tell the school?"

"The truth: your brother is very sick and we're exploring alternative options for treatment."

Gohan grabbed his mother and gave her the biggest hug he possibly could. His face was bright with hope as he looked up and thanked her. "I know this can't be easy for you, but I promise I'll bring him back safe. We'll both come back safe and sound."

"You'd better," Chi-Chi smiled down at him.


	5. Let's Go to Yardart!

_**Four years ago…**_

_The biggest and brightest blue eyes Chi-Chi had ever seen gazed up at her from her arms. Gold hair shimmering with a yellow aura stood up on end, just like a Super Saiyan. There was no mistaking what she saw, though she remained silent as if she wanted it to be. In her arms rested a powerful baby boy, born as one of those 'Super Saiyans.'_

_ Gohan looked at his mother. He could tell she was stricken speechless by the appearance of his younger brother, as was he. Not only was the boy a Super Saiyan, but he was noticeably smaller than his previous brother. He then stopped and shuddered with a sense of cold guilt and remorse as he thought about Goten. Not the one he saw now, but the one that was his brother before. When Fu said he made a few changes to the timeline, this was certainly not what Gohan had in mind. Here his new brother lay in his arms, small enough to fit in his father's palms. He knew she had carried him to term, born on the same day as before, and there were no complications with the pregnancy. In fact, everything seemed completely normal up until now. Even his ki signature remained similar in feeling and strength, but now that he was out in the world, his energy was far greater than anything he felt before. There was a fledgling, electric feeling to the newborn's life force. And as he looked up at his mother's eyes for the first time, sparks flew. Literally. _

_Chi-Chi thought for sure she would be shocked by the bio-electricity crackling around his body, but it only amounted to small tickles that melted her heart. "Oh, my goodness," she said as tears began to form in her eyes. "Gohan, isn't he the most precious thing you've ever seen? Look at those eyes, and that hair!"_

_He didn't want to admit it, but he was relieved by his mother's reaction. His head lowered, shame dimming his face for thinking that she wouldn't love him. She never stopped loving him and his father when they became Super Saiyans. Though she vehemently opposed the transformations, she always looked past it, just as she did now. _

_But there was something about the situation that still troubled him. "Why is he so small?" he kept thinking to himself. _

_That was when the doctor reentered the room and delivered news that would change the lives of the Son family forever._

**. . .**

There was a glimmer of hope in his mother's eyes that he hadn't seen in quite some time. "I'll go call Bulma; she's bound to have a ship that you guys can use."

"Alright, I'll go grab Goten!" he said as he flew out of bed. He rushed down the hall and into the room of his younger brother. Had he not flown, he would have stepped on the many toys strewn about the floor in an array of chaos. "Hey, Goten," said Gohan as he gently rustled his brother from sleep.

Tired blue eyes looked back up at him. "Huh? What's going on?" he asked with a yawn.

"Guess what? We're gonna take a trip into space!"

The four-year-old shot up in the air with him, awake and alert as if he just hadn't been in a deep slumber. His eyes lit up with stars, almost like those that dotted the dark expanse of space during Gohan's previous trip to Namek.

"No way!" cried Goten, voice high with excitement. "Are we gonna go to the moon?!"

"No," he chuckled, "this place is way better than the moon. It's a planet called, "Yardrat." It's that place I told you dad went to after he escaped from Namek. If we go there, maybe they can teach you how to power down! They helped our dad, so I don't see why they wouldn't be able to do something for you."

Goten smiled, but it was weak. "Oh, great!"

Gohan could tell he seemed to be troubled by something. "What's wrong? Aren't you excited?" he asked.

"Yeah!" the boy answered back. "I think I'm just still a little sleepy."

"Well, wake up!" he urged him with an excited smile. "You can nap on the ship. We've gotta get packing if we're gonna leave today. … If Bulma has a ship, that is."

"Wait, we're leaving today? What about school?"

"We're just gonna tell them that we're exploring a new treatment option. It's the truth," he winked.

"Oh, right…" said the boy in a rather disappointed tone. "Does that mean I'm gonna be in a hospital again when we get there?"

"No way! The Yardratians know all sorts of interesting techniques. We're gonna train with them; trust me, it's gonna be fun!"

"Oh! Well, good! I'm tired of hospitals," the young boy complained. "They have really gross food."

"Agreed. Dad always hated the food at hospitals, too," Gohan reminisced with a chuckle. His brother didn't seem to share in the humorous jab at their father. If anything, the joke seemed to put him in an even more sour mood than earlier. "You sure you're okay?" he questioned once more.

"Yeah!" he chirped, a bit forcefully.

Gohan could tell his brother was holding something back. "You know you can talk to me about anything right? I'm your brother- I've always got your back no matter what's on your mind."

Another half smile stretched across the toddler's face. "I know."

He wanted to believe his brother was alright, but he knew something was wrong. "Hey, I know this is all so sudden, and more training may not sound like the best thing in the world, but I promise we're gonna make the most of this. It won't be all training- I'm sure Yardrat's got some fun things to do! Even if not, I'm sure you, me, and Piccolo can make our own fun."

Goten's eyes suddenly lit up. "Wait, Piccolo's gonna come, too?!"

"He sure is!" beamed Gohan. "See? I told you this was going to be fun!"

"I'll start packing now," said Goten as he jumped out of bed. "How long are we gonna be there for?"

"Longest we can stay is about three weeks, so make sure you pack enough clothes."

"Three weeks?! Gosh, I don't know if I have enough snacks and candy to last us that long!"

"'Candy and snacks?' You plan on eating anything else besides that, champ?"

Goten shook his head, glaring at his older brother as if he should have known. "Well, you said Dad always complained about the food there, so I thought I'd pack some stuff to bring. Do you think the people on Yardrat will like fruit snacks? Or maybe cookies?"

Gohan couldn't help but chuckle at his brother's concerns. At this moment, it was as if he were looking at a younger version of his father. Though he never saw his father as a child, his mother, Piccolo, Krillin, and Bulma all swore up and down that Goten was the spitting image of him. Minus the golden hair and blue eyes, of course.

"Well, if you're that worried about it, it sounds like we should do some shopping before we go. Can't be going hungry in space, now can we?" Gohan suggested.

"Can we get jawbreakers? Pleeease?"

"We'll see," he smirked, rustling the boy's golden hair. "I'm gonna head out and update Piccolo. You should start packing just in case we get to leave today."

"Alright!" nodded Goten.

With that, Gohan raced out of the house and towards the Lookout. Goten stood still, ears perked and alert to his mother on the phone. Though he didn't care too much for what she was saying, he knew she could go on forever with Bulma. Now with Gohan gone, he saw this as the perfect opportunity to slip into his brother's room.

He began to search through Gohan's belongings. Nothing was safe from the Super Saiyan's sleuthing. Sheets were ripped up, books were lifted, and papers were moved. Yet he found nothing. Granted, he didn't know what he was looking for, but he knew he needed to find something.

_I hope he doesn't know I followed him,_ he shuddered as he thought back to last night. The smallest, faintest of noises were always enough to alert Goten. Try as both his mother and brother might, there was no hiding from his elevated senses. Even if Gohan were to fly above the clouds, all Goten had to do was focus and he could just narrowly make out any conversations that were being had. Though he was unable to hear everything, he heard enough.

It was the first night Gohan had ever snuck out. How could the young Goten resist his curiosity? Was he going for special training, or was he going to sneak out to see a certain girl he always talked about?

Neither was the case. What he overheard left him with more questions than answers.

As the boy continued to move papers and books around, he came across a journal that looked different from all of his older brother's textbooks and notebooks. There was a lock on it, which could easily be broken with his strength, but then Gohan would know. _Gotta find a key,_ he thought as he continued searching. _It's gotta be in here somewhere, unless he keeps it on him. If I had a journal with a lock, I'd probably keep the key-_

"Goten?"

He jumped at the sound of his name. Thankfully it was his mother and not Gohan, but he still felt it necessary to discreetly hide the journal up the back of his shirt as she stared at him from the doorway.

"O- Oh! Hey, Mom! What's up?" he stammered. _Shoot, I forgot to listen for when she got off the phone!_

"Did your brother explain everything to you?"

Goten nodded, praying she wouldn't notice him trying to keep the book from falling out of his shirt.

"Good," she said. "Bulma's got a ship you guys can use, so whenever you and your brother are all packed up, we'll head over there."

"O- Okay!"

She left without so much as questioning why he was in his brother's room. He thanked his lucky stars, assuming she was too caught up in a whirlwind of emotions to take notice of anything. But without a key, the journal he now clutched in his hands was useless. And now he had to pack, especially if they were going to have time to go shopping before the trip.

He put the journal back in its original spot and made sure everything was just as his brother left it. With a sigh, he concluded, _I guess I won't be getting any answers today. I just don't get it. Who the heck is that "Fu" guy, and what's this about an "experiment?"_

**. . .**

Trunks fell to his knees. His purple locks cascaded over his sweaty face as he watched blood that poured from his nose stain the grass beneath him. He could hardly breathe anymore, certain that one of his lungs had collapsed after his opponent's previous attack. Every part of his five-year-old body screamed for him to stay down and rest, but he knew his father would never allow this. Any minute now, he would yell for Trunks to get up, and then carry on and on about pride and never giving in. But after today's training session, all Trunks wanted to do was take a nap. Or play video games.

But again, this was something his father would never let slide. He knew at some point he had to pull himself up. If he didn't soon, he'd never hear the end of it. But try as the toddler might, his body refused to obey him. Not that it could with how much damage he'd sustained. His legs were so wrought with pain that he could hardly feel them anymore.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" cried Vegeta as he observed from afar. "Get up and fight. **Now.**"

Trunks clutched the grass beneath him in frustration. "I can't! I don't wanna do this anymore, Dad!"

"Well that's too damn bad!" roared the prince. "If you want to become a Super Saiyan like Goten, then you need to push yourself!"

The boy began to regret asking his father to train him. As he looked up into the cold, red eyes of his sparring partner, he began to wonder if he made a mistake, or if turning Super Saiyan was even worth it anymore. "Can't I fight someone else? Why don't you and I spar?"

"You'll just slow me down," Vegeta growled. "If you took our sparring matches more seriously and didn't complain when I transformed, _maybe_ I would train you myself. But you need to be whipped into shape!"

"This guy's gonna whip me into cream!" Trunks cried. "Please, Dad! I don't wanna fight Frieza anymore!"

The tyrant glared down his nose at the youth and turned it up in disgust. "The only thing more unsightly than a battered Saiyan is a battered Saiyan child. How disappointing. Perhaps your father was expecting too much out of you."

Vegeta kept his eyes on his son as Frieza lorded over him. _I can't believe this. The Super Saiyan of legend was supposed to be an incredible feat achieved by extraordinary members of our race, and now there's a toddler running around with its full power! Worst of all it just __**has**__ to be Kakarot's youngest son. Damn him, it's like he's taunting me with all of this. Keep on laughing. Soon my son will be the strongest!_

"I think even Gohan put up a better fight than you at this age," sneered the Frost Demon. "Still, I suppose I should commend you for your efforts, no matter how misplaced they may be. To last fifteen minutes against my Final Form is no easy feat. But no matter how much you try, the outcome will always be the same for you monkeys. The only good Saiyan is a dead one!"

A sinister red light began to envelop the area. Trunks looked up to stare a Death Beam aimed right at his face. He shuddered as he began to call for his father's aide, unable to move. "DAD! PLEASE! MAKE HIM STOP!"

Vegeta conceded. He grabbed the remote from his pocket and clicked the "Off" button. At once, the grass they stood on was replaced by a cold, hard floor. Frieza, and the impending doom his son faced, were no more. They were back in the training room at Capsule Corp., and though Trunks was elated to be back home, Vegeta only felt disappointment as he continued to think about Kakarot's sons compared to his own.

The happiness and joy Trunks felt quickly faded once he saw his father's face, riddled with discontent at his failure. He began to apologize, but his father quickly cut him off.

"Go and rest," ordered Vegeta. "We'll try again tomorrow."

With his head held low, ashamed of his performance and saddened by his father's disappointment, he limped out of the training room. The door shut behind him, and Trunks was left to fall against the door, unable to move anymore.

Bulma, who just happened to be on her way to the room, saw him and rushed to him. "Trunks! Trunks!" she called as she shook him in an attempt to regain consciousness. But the boy was out, far past exhausted. "Damn you, Vegeta," she cursed. It crossed her mind to rush in and give the man a piece of her mind this instant, but her son needed her attention.

Thinking quick, she rushed over to a nearby cabinet and grabbed a green capsule labeled, "Senzu Essence." She popped the cap open, tilted her son's head back, and began to pour it down his throat. Eventually, he got the hint to swallow and soon, he was back on his feet. Though he was still a little unsteady and winded, he was able to stand, almost as good as new.

"Are you okay, sweetie?" she asked immediately.

The boy brushed his mother's concerns off, though a part of him was happy to see that at least _someone_ cared for his well being. "It's fine, I'm fine," he insisted.

"Let me guess: he had you fighting Frieza again, didn't he?"

He could already see her eyes welling up with worry which was the last thing he wanted. It would result in her storming into the training room and unleashing her wrath on his father. This was typical for them, but it was something he would like to avoid if possible. One pissed off parent was more than enough for today.

"Mom, please, it's really fine," he insisted. "I just wanna take a nap."

Bulma could see in her son's eyes that he didn't want her to step in this time. Though it was tough, she sheathed her concern and gave him a hug. She knew he needed it, but would never ask for it. Much like his father. "I'm sorry, honey. He should be going easier on you."

"But if he doesn't, then I'll never be good enough for him or Goten or anyone."

"Hey," she said sharply to get his attention. "You stop that kind of talk right now, okay? Instead of comparing yourself like that, you should try to find your own power- something just for you that you're good at."

"But I don't know what else there is to do or what I'm good at," the boy replied. "Nothing that would make Dad happy at least."

"Don't you go worrying about him," she assured her son. "You have to do what makes you happy. You like training and fighting, right? Why don't you look into some things, like different martial arts styles? I'm sure Master Roshi wouldn't mind training you."

Trunks scoffed at the thought and retorted, "How am I supposed to get stronger by training with people weaker than me?"

Bulma huffed, swearing she just heard her husband's voice. "Listen, I may not fight or fly around like you guys, but if there's one thing I know, it's that fights require a lot more than just pure strength. Your father may not think the same way, but there's been plenty of fights Gohan, Goku, and the others have won with their strategies. Even I've been able to get myself out of some sticky situations using my head."

"I don't know," sighed the boy. "I just wanna be strong enough so I can hang out with him more."

She could hardly contain herself anymore. There wasn't a single care in her mind about whether or not another fight was going to upset her son, because now _she_ was upset. But she knew disrupting him while he was training would just get him too angry to talk to her about the real issue at hand- if he would even discuss it with her. Unless it was about training, he was a man of few words.

"Trunks," she said, suddenly gripping the boy's arms. "Listen to me, you are and always will be more than good enough. You're one of the most powerful kids in the universe! Never mind just Earth- there's adults all around the world that wish they could have the kind of power you do. You keep getting stronger and you show all those people what it really means to be powerful, okay?"

"O- Okay," her son sniffled as he gave a few wipes to the tears that formed in her eyes. "Can you make me some pancakes?"

Bulma chuckled and led her son into the kitchen. There was no question in her mind that he was starving after his training session. He always worked up an appetite for his favorite: pancakes. Like most children, he loved to drench them in syrup. But he was half Saiyan. This meant fifty percent more syrup than any other Earthling child would ever use and could ever handle. But Trunks would always lick his plate, and occasionally ask for more.

As she whipped up her pancakes and he devoured them, she turned to him with a soft smile. He looked up and knew she had something to talk to him about, as her smile actually wasn't soft, but very rigid with the concern that always pierced through. "What's up, Mom?" he questioned as he huffed out a nervous sigh. She looked more concerned than usual when she would have this look.

"Well, you know Goten's heart condition hasn't gotten any better lately," she started. "But Gohan seems to think they have a lead on something that could help him. So they're gonna take a spaceship to a planet called Yardrat. The people there might know some way to help him."

"Hold on, they're gonna go into space?!" gawked the five-year-old. "Can I go with them?!"

"Trunks, this is serious," she stressed. "It's more than just a trip into space. If the doctors can't help him, this might be their best bet."

"Can I still go? Please?"

"No, Trunks. You have tests next week that you can't miss. And it's like I said, this is more than a field trip. It's dangerous, Trunks."

"But Gohan and Goten are strong! And Gohan's the strongest! And I'm strong, too!" he argued. "Plus Goten's my best friend! You have to let me go, Mom! Please!"

She held firm. "That's enough, Trunks. You're staying here and that's final. Now finish eating and go get washed up. They should be here soon."

Trunks pushed his plate away and stormed out of the kitchen. A pile of half-eaten pancakes drowned in syrup lay there, and his mother stood over them. Her heart and mind were both heavy with thoughts and doubts as she cleaned up the dishes. _Maybe I was too hard on him… He just wants to be there for his friend. But even if it's Gohan, I can't have him all around the cosmos and run into someone like Frieza._

As she continued to immerse herself in her thoughts, the sound of the doorbell pulled her out of her mind. _Oh, they're here already?_

"Come on in!" she called out to them. Almost immediately, her kitchen was filled with friendly faces carrying bags of luggage. Chi-Chi, Gohan, Goten, Piccolo, and even Krillin, were all there. "Well hey there, guys! You all look pretty set to go." She turned to Chi-Chi and Krillin, surprised that she had her own bags and surprised in general just to see Krillin there.

"Anything to help Goten," Chi-Chi proclaimed. "Will you be coming with us, Bulma?"

Bulma chuckled in memory of their trip to Namek. "Well, it would be cool to take a trip like the old days, but I've got too much work to do. Don't worry though, I've got the coordinates all typed into the ship so you won't have any trouble getting there. Thank goodness I saved that space pod Goku came back from Yardrat in, or else you'd be flying blind out there."

"I can't wait!" squealed Goten. "This is gonna be so much fun! I can't wait to see Mars and Jupiter!"

Krillin replied with a chuckle, "Trust me, once we get out there, you'll see a lot more than just Mars and Jupiter."

"Before you guys go…" Bulma started as she disappeared into another room and returned with a small medicine bag, "this should help you out on your journey."

Gohan peered into the bag to see a collection of strange green capsules. "What're these?"

"They're this new invention I've been working on- Senzu Essence Capsules!" she announced. "Ever since Cell stole those Senzu Beans from you guys, I've been thinking about ways to prevent stuff like that from happening again. So I took a sample of a Senzu Bean, copied it, amplified it, and now we've got these! They're not as good as a Senzu Bean yet. They can heal mortal wounds but your stamina won't be recovered. Still trying to work that part out."

"That's a genius idea," Piccolo complemented. "Now everyone can keep one or two on them instead of one person holding an entire bag of Senzu Beans."

"And there's plenty more where that came from!" Bulma added.

Gohan stood, floored at the miracle drug that was now in his hands. _Whoa, there was never anything like this in the future… _He stopped to take a look at his family and friends, most notably Goten, and became overwhelmed with a heavy feeling in his chest. It was as if his heart was dragged down into the pit of his stomach. _This is all so different… _

The sound of a door shutting alerted turned everyone's attention to the hall. A familiar echoing of boots striking the ground accompanied the prince as he walked into the kitchen. Sweat still poured from him and dripped onto the floor, despite the towel he had around his neck. His dark eyes narrowed as he saw the group. "What's this, a family reunion?"

"Good to see you, too, Vegeta," Gohan smirked. _At least some things haven't changed._ "We're gonna go to Yardrat to see if there's any way they can help Goten. Wanna come with us?"

Vegeta laughed, almost a little too much. "Please! I have better things to do than to go for some god forsaken rock on the edge of the universe."

Gohan let out a disappointed sigh. "Yeah, I figured. How's your training been going?"

"Don't concern yourself with my training," he retorted. "Just you wait, Gohan. You won't be number one for long."

"Is that so?" he asked with an almost excited smile. "Maybe we should have a little match when I come back."

Vegeta smirked at the boy's confidence. "You'd better learn all the fancy tricks that you can while you're on that planet. You'll need them if you're going to beat me."

"We'll see about that," Gohan replied.

"If you boys are finished," Chi-Chi interjected, "we should be going."

"Have fun," Vegeta quipped as he left back down the hall.

Gohan watched the prince disappear behind the door of the training room. He turned to Bulma with a soft smile and relayed, "You know, it was really great of you to build that simulation training room. Without it, I think he would've given up fighting for a while."

Bulma expressed her exhaustion with a sigh as she explained, "Well, to tell you guys the truth, _and don't tell him I said any of this,_ but he's been… a little different since Goku died. All he does is lock himself in the room and go at it all day."

"That doesn't seem too different from the normal Vegeta," Krillin commented.

"It's not just that," she continued, "he's been… kind of sad? I don't know how exactly to put it, and I'm sure he doesn't either, but I think Goku sacrificing himself had quite the effect on him."

Krillin gawked. "Vegeta? _Sad?_ I'd have to see it to believe it."

"Well, hang around here long enough and you will," Bulma said. "Anyway, let me go and grab Trunks. I'm sure he'd want to see you guys off."

"Can he come with us?!" asked an excited Goten.

"No, unfortunately," she sighed. "He's got some important tests next week that he can't miss." As she said that, she departed up the stairs to go and search for him.

Meanwhile, Gohan turned to both Krillin and Piccolo and said, "Thank you both for coming along with us. I'd hate to take you away from your responsibilities, but I also want to be safe just in case there's someone like Frieza waiting for us on Namek."

"We're happy to help," Piccolo smiled.

"Don't even worry about it," Krillin grinned. "Besides, I'm unemployed. Not like I have a lot of responsibilities at the moment anyway."

"Still having trouble finding work?" Chi-Chi asked.

Krillin shamefully nodded. "Well, all I've been doing for the past thirty-four years is martial arts, so it's not like I have any marketable skills."

"Sure you do!" Chi-Chi beamed. "You and Goku were always out training, so why don't you find something that involves martial arts? Or something physical at least."

"I never thought of that," Krillin admitted. "Maybe I'll look into that once we get back! I've gotta find something soon, or else these bills are gonna kill us. Or 18 will kill me, whichever comes first."

As they finished up their conversation, Bulma descended the staircase with a worried expression on her face. "Hey, did you guys happen to pass by or see Trunks on your way in here? He's not in his room."

Everyone collectively shook their heads. Gohan took a moment to sense out the boy's energy, but found nothing. "Weird, I'm not even sensing him around. At all, actually."

"Jeez, where'd he run off to?" she fretted as she grabbed the keys to her plane. "I'm going to go and look for him. You guys have a safe trip, okay? I'll have Trunks call you guys on the ship's phone after I find him."

With that, she was out the door. They could hear the engine to her plane start up and she took off in quite the hurry. Gohan and the others were left in the kitchen, a bit confused.

"Trunks doesn't wanna see us off?" Goten wondered, a bit sad.

"I'm sure he's just busy or something," Chi-Chi reassured him. "Now, let's get going! To Yardart!"

"It's _'Yardrat,'_ Mom," Gohan corrected her.

The group made their way to the large ship parked in Bulma's backyard, and soon they were off into space.

Elsewhere, Trunks sat deep in the thicket of a forest. Surrounded by nothing other than the animals scurrying about through the leaves, he sulked on a tree stump. Tears streamed down his face as thoughts of his parents and Goten hounded him. _I hate this. I can't train with Dad, I can't go Super Saiyan, I can't go into space- what can I do?!_

"... You can do a lot, actually!" cheered on a strange, yet familiar voice.

The young Trunks turned back to see a man standing behind him. He was tall, with eyes just as blue as the ocean, and purple hair that reached down to his shoulders. There was a sword, sheathed in its hilt, strapped on the man's back. Somehow, for some reason, Trunks felt as if he'd seen this man before.

Suddenly, it clicked.

"H- Hey, you're-"


	6. From You, a Very Long Time Ago

Kid Trunks could hardly believe it- the future version of himself was standing right before him. After Gohan and Bulma told him and Goten the story of a future incarnation of himself coming to their timeline to warn of the terror of the androids, he couldn't help but research the topic in his spare time. There was a theory that made the assumption many people would fail to recognize an alternate version of themselves due to their own perceptions of their own self. Perhaps if Gohan and Bulma hadn't made him aware prior, he would fail to recognize the man, but he was just as they described. He stood tall, towering over the boy like a skyscraper, with the same purple hair, but much longer than his own. His arms were thick like tree trunks, ready to burst from the black combat suit that bore a somewhat similar resemblance to their father's. Strapped along his back in its sheath was the famous sword that he remembered Gohan describing. That very same sword that Goku took on with just a finger.

It was as if the boy were looking up at a god, akin to some of the Norse gods he'd heard of. He was speechless, but he knew he had to say something. This was his only chance to make a good first impression.

"Y- You're him, aren't you?!" sputtered the boy in a most unremarkable fashion. _Smooth, Trunks…_

The man's blue eyes widened with a bit of shock as well. "You know, a lot of people say you wouldn't recognize another version of yourself. It's impressive you knew who I was."

"How could I _not?!_ Another me coming from the future to help save our world?! You're just like how Gohan described! That's **so COOL**!" the young boy exclaimed.

_So, he told him about me this time, huh?_ thought Future Trunks with a smirk. "So, what are you doing all the way out here?"

"N- Nothing," said the boy a bit defensively. "How did you know what I was thinking? Can you read minds?"

"Well, I try to not make a habit out of it, but Mom was worried-"

"Wait, did you tell my mom what I was thinking?!" snapped the young boy suddenly. "Please, don't! If she knows, she's just gonna go yell at my dad and they're gonna start fighting again."

"Don't worry, I didn't tell her anything," the man assured him. "Besides, it isn't anything she doesn't already know. She's just worried. She said you ran off without saying anything."

The boy turned away, regret balling his fists in his lap. "I shouldn't have done that. She's probably really worried."

"Your father is probably worried, too," the man suggested.

"I doubt it," the boy remarked.

Future Trunks could see the disgust in the boy's eyes, not only at his father, but at his own self as well. _This is strange… Things really are different here. I can't believe this. He's changed so much- it's almost baffling! And yet…_ He paused to examine the boy's power with his ki sense. What he felt was far more powerful than it should have been for a child of his age. _If he's this strong already, father must have at least shown him a thing or two. Knowing him though, he probably wants the younger me to become a Super Saiyan to match Goku's sons. If a person can be born a Super Saiyan, then surely the younger me should be capable of turning into one, especially if our father was a Super Saiyan at the time of conception. … Ew, I shouldn't be thinking about that._

"Say," the younger incarnation started with a smirk that seemed mischievous, "you're a Super Saiyan, right? Teach me how to turn into one!"

The brass demand from the five-year-old put a smile on the man's face. _Guess some things aren't that different after all…_ "Listen, that power isn't just something you can achieve so easily. It takes a lot of time of training and dedication in order to transform."

"But if Goten's born with it, then it can't be that hard to get, right?" the boy rebutted.

Future Trunks narrowed a glare at the boy as he reasserted, "No, I told you- it's not easy at all to become a Super Saiyan. When I first transformed, the power was so incredible and hard to control that it almost seriously hurt me. It took me a long time of training with my old master Gohan before I learned how to control it."

The boy's head fell in shame. His voice boomed with the same authority and certainty that his father's did. But as he thought about the man's words, it began to make sense to him. "You're right," he admitted. "Goten and Gohan just left for Yardrat today because Goten's body can't handle him being a Super Saiyan. So, I guess it isn't all it's cracked up to be…"

"I heard from our mother," the man said. "Not only that, but in order to become a Super Saiyan, the power has to come from a need, not a desire. Usually this need comes in a dire situation, or through extreme emotional duress. You're much too young to be going through anything like that. Besides, if all you're doing it for is to get stronger than Goten or to get dad to start training you, you're going to be in for a rude awakening."

"What do you mean?"

"Like I said," Future Trunks began, "this power is hard enough to control on its own. But Goten has been a Super Saiyan for years. Transforming into one isn't going to immediately make you as strong as him. Even after you transform, you would still have to train and work twice as hard in order to catch up."

"You're making it sound like it's impossible," the boy sighed heavily.

"I don't mean to. But it just seems like you're doing it for the wrong reasons. Besides, there's plenty of other things you can do to become stronger. Getting stronger in any sense is hard work, but it should be done to improve yourself, and to learn how to defend yourself and the people you care about. "

"Can I do it because it's fun, too?"

Future Trunks chuckled at his younger incarnation's innocence. "Yeah, you can do it because it's fun, too. Just don't forget the main points- to conquer yourself. Martial arts is a lot like the art of war. Raw strength isn't the only deciding factor in a battle. Many of the best warriors I know are ones that aren't very strong in a physical sense, but through their intellect and skill, they could turn the tide of battle in a heartbeat and destroy the most powerful of enemies."

"Wow!" gasped the boy. "Are any of your friends here?! They sound super cool!"

"No, I would have liked for you to meet them, but unfortunately the time machine can only fit two people. Just me and my mother came."

"Whoa! You mean there's another version of my mom here? That's so weird!" Kid Trunks exclaimed. "What's she like?"

"Well," the man started with a chuckle, "you can say she's a lot like your mom. But calmer. … _Sometimes._"

"What do you mean "sometimes?""

"You'll understand soon. C'mon, let's head back."

**. . .**

Vegeta flew back. He could feel the force of Kakarot's punch shoot through the air as he put distance between him and the clown. Despite being a holographic projection, he hit just as hard as the real Kakarot, and was just as fast, too. The perfect training partner for the prince to continue to push his limits.

Big, dumb, blue eyes gawked at Vegeta as electricity danced around the warrior. "Impressive, Vegeta, you've really gotten a lot stronger since you last booted me up!"

The prince scoffed and snapped, "I don't need to be patronized. Especially not by a holographic projection of _you._"

"Still the same as ever," Kakarot sighed in a tone that sounded full of pity. "You ever think you should unwind a little bit? Go do something with Trunks? It probably isn't that healthy to be spending your time with Frieza and Cell all day everyday in here."

Vegeta huffed at the man's suggestion. "Please. Like you know what's best. You weren't even around for your kid's early years."

"Okay, that's fair," he conceded. "But still. Don't you think you're going a little hard on the kid? I mean, after all, he's only five. Plus, you see what having that power at such a young age does to a kid's body. Do you really want to put Trunks through all of that?"

"Oh, shut up," the prince moaned. "I don't need a lecture about parenting from someone who isn't even around."

"You know why I had to do what I did, Vegeta."

"But you just _left._ You've left me with nothing but shame. You surpassed me completely, and then again outshined me with both of your sons. I was at the pinnacle of the most powerful warrior race in the entire universe, but now look at me- I'm complaining to a damned simulation of all things."

"You're wrong, Vegeta," Kakarot argued. "One day I think you'll understand why I always managed to stay one step ahead."

Vegeta scoffed at the man's cryptic statement. "Oh, just be quiet already. You're supposed to fight me, not talk to me."

"C'mon, Vegeta, I know you're dying to know why I'm stronger than you," egged on the Saiyan with a smirk.

The prince turned away from the lower class warrior, but couldn't help but be angered by the small part of him that was curious. How was it that Kakarot always remained so far ahead of him? How, whenever he got the upper hand, did his power suddenly skyrocket? Why did the Prince of all Saiyans have to work twice as hard for what felt like half the results?

He had to know. But before he could turn to question the simulated clown, he was met immediately by what he at first perceived to be the scornful face of his wife, no doubt coming to rip him apart in defense of her son. Yet, this was not his wife. Right away, he could tell this Bulma standing in front of him was a bit older. The age complimented her once electric eyes, now much softer and refined like an ore. He felt a strange familiarity in her presence and knew there was only one explanation- this was the mother of his son from the future. But why was she here? Did that mean Trunks was back? Was the future in trouble again?

"Hello, Vegeta," she said with a soft smile. "My goodness, you look just like the Vegeta from my world."

"H- Hello, Bulma," the prince stammered as she approached him. For some reason, he felt a great humbleness in her presence. Though he would have been mad at his present wife for intruding upon his training, there were no such feelings held towards this version of her.

The calmness in the room was soon shattered as the present Bulma came storming into the room. "VEGETA! WHAT IN THE **WORLD **IS WRONG WITH YOU?!" she roared.

Now, instead of rage, all he could feel in this moment was fear. He prepared to ask her what exactly she was talking about and why she was so angry, but as his mouth opened, her mouth swooped in to interject. Much like a wolf pouncing on prey at the golden opportunity.

"You've got some nerve having Trunks fight Frieza! What the hell were you thinking? He almost got killed!" Present Bulma raged. "Because of you, he ran away! If our son hadn't come back from the future, I'd _still_ be out there looking for him! You owe both him _and_ your present son an apology!"

There was no fight in the prince. Not in front of two versions of his wife. He dare not open his mouth. The Bulma from the future hadn't even begun her scolding, as present Bulma stormed out of the room.

And now there a silence in the room. Future Bulma turned her attention to the simulation of Goku standing a few feet away from Vegeta. The prince shuddered as he knew the man had long since passed in her life, but also in his own. "Erm, Bulma, you should-"

"It almost looks as real as the real Goku!" she exclaimed with interest as she rushed toward him to get a better look. Her nostrils flared with the stench of the simulated man's sweat. "Wow, this is almost _too_ real."

"Whoa," gasped Goku. "So, have I been gone for that long? You've gotten all old and wrinkly, Bulma!"

It was at this moment, Vegeta knew that the man was too real for his own good. His entire body clenched as he awaited what he expected to be the fury of his future wife. There was no way she wouldn't be mad at that. No matter the age or version of Bulma, he knew they all had to despise being called old. His current wife at one point even talked about gathering the Dragon Balls in a few years to wish for a bit more youth.

But this moment never came from the future version of Bulma. She simply chuckled, which quickly progressed into a tearful laugh. He could see in her eyes that she missed both him and that clown. Even in death, and even in a training simulation, that man always seemed to just have an edge in life that he never did. And he couldn't understand how or why. But as he looked on at Bulma conversing with the simulation, testing its knowledge, he began to wonder about his sons.

"Bulma," said the prince as he approached her. "Where is Trunks?"

"We're right here, Father," he heard his older son say. The voice shocked him, it boomed with a confidence that he couldn't help but recognize.

Vegeta looked at his son and could hardly believe how much he'd grown since he last saw him. Though it had only been around four years for him, he could see in the man's eyes and stature that it had been far longer for his son. But there was something strange about the future version of his son. Ordinarily, he would be able to feel his ki before he approached. He felt his younger son's, but for his future incarnation, there was no energy level present. It was almost as if there was no life force, but the man was very clearly alive and breathing. There was something the prince could feel in the air that he could only describe as some form of pressure. It felt above him, in some way.

Future Trunks could see his father was stricken a bit speechless by the appearance of his mother, and then later by himself. "It's been quite a while, hasn't it?"

"Y- Yes, it has…" stammered the prince. "How long has it been since you were last here?"

Future Trunks chuckled at the question and looked away, as if he had to think. "Well, I'd say it's probably been about fifteen or so years. Sorry, I would have liked to come back sooner, but I got a little busy with some things and… well, I guess time just got away from me."

Vegeta eyed the future incarnation of his son. There was something strange about him, as if he had to think carefully about every word he said. "What have you been doing, exactly?"

The prince couldn't explain it, but he'd felt this pressure once before. _He exudes the same feeling as… Lord Beerus, the God of Destruction. Tell me, Trunks, what __**have**__ you been doing?_

"As much as I would like to explain right now, that will have to wait," the man answered. "I've come back to your timeline to warn you of a great threat to Earth. They'll arrive within the next twenty-four hours or so."

"Wh- WHAT?!" gawked both the prince and the simulated clown. Vegeta glared his son down and raged, "You couldn't have come back a little earlier like last time?!"

"I'm sorry! Like I said, time got away from me!" apologized Future Trunks as he continued to explain. "In about twenty-four hours, three Saiyans will arrive on Earth to wreak havoc and chaos. I stopped them in my timeline, but they were strong. Terribly strong. Far more powerful than the androids and Cell without a doubt."

""Saiyans?"" repeated the prince. "You mean you're telling me there are more surviving Saiyans in the universe?"

"Yes," the man confirmed. "They didn't seem to be allied with any particular army or force. One of them, however, is someone you know, Father. Your brother, Tarble, is the leader of the group. The other two Saiyans are a woman named Eschalot and a man named Turles."

"Hold on," Vegeta barked. "My _brother_ attacked the Earth and put up a fight? My father sent him away to some outlying planet because of his low power level at birth. How in the hell can he be a threat?"

Sharp, blue eyes narrowed at Vegeta as his son said, "You should know better than anyone not to underestimate a lower-class warrior, Father."

The prince was taken aback by the comment. A vein reflexively began to throb on his forehead as he prepared to verbally lash out at the boy, but something stopped him. It was as if his body suddenly urged him not to. It began to tense at the pressure in the air and that was when he knew that his son had been through something, and that this pressure was no ordinary pressure.

It was the energy of a god.

"Please, Father, we don't have much time to talk about that right now," the man pleaded. "We need to go to the Hyperbolic Time Chamber immediately. Once we're inside, I'll debrief you on the full situation, and then we'll begin training."

Vegeta hardly knew how to react to his older son calling the orders. Part of him wanted to demand an answer right there and then, but a bigger portion of him told him that he needed to wait. If anything, the fact that his son offered to _train him_ was all the more interesting, as he wondered just what kind of power he'd obtained.

"And I'm coming, too!" proclaimed the younger Trunks. "Future me said he's gonna show me how to go Super Saiyan!"

"I didn't say that," Future Trunks rushed to correct him. "You don't need to be a Super Saiyan to be great- we're gonna find you something even better."

The boy widened his eyes as he asked, "You mean you're gonna skip Super Saiyan and teach me how to become a Super Saiyan 2?!"

The man sighed in response to his younger self's fixation. "Well, you'll just have to find out soon. Now grab on, we shouldn't waste any time."

"What do you mean grab on?" asked Vegeta.

"I mean, put your hand on my shoulder and I'll use Instant Transmission to take us to the Lookout," Future Trunks explained. "Now grab on. If we keep talking, we're not gonna be able to make use of the full twenty-four hours. We're gonna need all the time we can get if you want to _hear everything._"

The way his son ended that sentence struck a sudden chord of tension within the prince. There was something deeper to the man's words, but he couldn't quite explain it. It was as if there was a lot more to what the man had to say. This threat that he spoke of seemed to begin to dim in comparison to what appeared to be hidden. Perhaps this was why it felt like he was carefully picking what to say earlier.

They entered the chamber and stood in the building, staring out at the vast expanse of nothing in front of them. Kid Trunks could hardly contain himself and sprung out into the void. The ten times gravity hardly bothered the boy as he had practiced with his father in the gravity machine before.

Future Trunks, however, stayed back with his father. "It's time I explain everything, but first-" He stopped to extend his hand to the prince. His smile was warm, but at the same time stricken with such grief and sadness that it confused the Saiyan. "It's good to see you again, Father. It's been far too long."

Vegeta shook the boy's hand, and suddenly, everything changed. The scenery around him vanished. He now stood on a ruined piece slab in a dark, gray wasteland. His sons and the Hyperbolic Time Chamber were gone, and he was very clearly somewhere else on some desolate planet. It seemed completely devoid of life- no trees, no sun, no grass, no animals to be sensed for miles on this strange planet. Yet, before him there was one presence. It was a creature he had never seen before, goat-like with the horns of the Devil and eyes as red as blood.

"_I have a message to pass along to you, Father,"_ echoed the voice of his future son throughout the land. _"This message is from yourself, a very long time ago."_

It became clear to the prince that this wasn't a random desolate planet. This was the ruins of Earth. And soon, everything began to connect for him.

"_Do you remember now, Father?"_


	7. Spirit

Standing in front of Vegeta was the creature that had not only taken just his life, but everything from him. He could remember as his spirit departed to the afterlife from the battlefield, he could sense the souls of many others following him. The Z Fighters, and soon, his son and wife, and eventually, all of the universe fell to him. Not even Lord Beerus could destroy him when it was all said and done. There was nothing he nor anyone could do to stop him.

And yet, here the prince stood, younger once again. The conception of his daughter, Bulla, hadn't even been thought of for discussion between him and his wife. But he was sure the memories of that monster were his own, despite the fact that they happened years later.

"Hello," a very familiar voice called out to him.

Vegeta turned to see an older iteration of him standing before him, clad in a black battlesuit with a white armor breastplate. On the left pectoral was the signature of someone that read "Whis," and there was a shoulder plate and a slight slant to the breast plate that seemed to take inspiration from the Yardrat suit.

He wasted no time in questioning the other version of himself. "What the hell is going on here? Where are we?"

The alternate Vegeta addressed him just as quickly. "Calm down. We're in a space outside of reality, time, and space. Our conversation here may feel as if it's taking place normally, but in reality, all of this is happening in less than half of a second."

Vegeta fell silent, understandably so, as he had no idea how to react to that. But if he was speechless at that, he would find himself completely at a loss as the other version of him continued to explain.

"You may think of me as a future counterpart, but in reality, I am from the past, and we are the same person. You are an echo, just as I am merely the essence of the Vegeta that lived his other life. Thanks to Trunks, the very same one that was with you during the Cell and Zamasu conflicts, I'm able to deliver this message to you safely."

The mention of Zamasu caused the present Vegeta's brow to twinge. "What does my son have to do with all of this? And what's this _message_ you and him keep talking about?"

"Soon, you will understand," the other Vegeta smiled. "I would just explain everything, but we would be here for ages and I'm afraid time isn't a luxury we have. Merus is keeping _him_ distracted, but we don't have long. But it isn't the Merus you're thinking of."

"Well then, if this message is so important, why don't you just tell me already?" Vegeta urged him.

"As impatient as ever," chuckled the older prince. "You may think I'm here to warn you about Moro, which I am, but your memories of him and your past life, which I'm about to restore, will serve as your own warning. Not only am I here to restore your memories, I'm here to show you the truth of this world, and give you the second chance you deserve. It isn't fair that only Gohan got to have a re-do."

It all began to make sense to the younger prince. _That explains his strange reaction upon Kakarot's death. No grief would give him that look he had in his eyes. _

"But you have to promise me that you won't breathe a word to anyone about this. Not even Trunks or Gohan. He may be distracted now, but… _he is always watching._"

Chills ran down the present Vegeta's spine as he wondered just who his counterpart referred to, and this _truth_ to the world that he seemed to be unaware of.

"Don't worry," the other prince began to assure him, "it will make sense soon. But no matter what, you must not forget your mission. No matter what may lay ahead for you, what differences or changes there may be, you must keep moving forward. If you want to save Bulma, Trunks, Bulla, and the others, you will stand, and you _will __**fight!**_"

His vision began to cloud, and the older version of himself disappeared beneath the darkness. Soon, a voice came to him.

"_A second chance, huh? I think I can do that for you! But you have to promise to do things right this time, okay? No mistakes, no screw-ups, and no getting comfortable and being lazy. If you want to save Goku, Piccolo, Goten, Videl, Pan, and the others, then you'll do things right this time." _

With that voice, a wave of memories played before him. From the day he was born on Planet Vegeta, to the day he met his end by the hand of that bastard stabbing through his chest- he could remember everything. But then, visions came to him. Visions of a strange creature with a twisted smile, similar in physical appearance to a Supreme Kai, but tainted in the feeling of his energy signature. More images continued to overwhelm his vision, but as soon as they began, they were over.

Vegeta snapped back to reality. His older son looked at him with a warm smile. They had just finished shaking hands, and his younger son continued to play out in the endless void. It was true, not even half a second passed. But to the prince, it felt as if he had just lived another lifetime. But he remembered what the other version of himself said and remained quiet.

As he felt the spirit depart from him and return to Future Trunks, he was left with these final words from the proud warrior of his past life.

"_Heed my words carefully, though this may be a second chance for you, things are going to be very different this time around. It's up to you to make this a life worth living, and don't you dare think about making mine go in vain! You rise, dammit! Take this knowledge of your past life and become __**legendary**__."_

_I swear to you, Moro,_ the prince began to proclaim to himself. _Things aren't going to be the same this time around. This time, you're gonna pay! And then, I'm coming after __**you**__."_

**. . .**

The ship continued its hurdle through space, right on schedule. Goten pressed his face against the window and watched the stars and distant plants go by as they continued toward their destination. His somewhat sad huffs made fog on the glass as he looked back to ask his mother, "Hey, has Trunks called?"

"I'm afraid not, sweetie," the woman said as she continued to man the helm of the ship. Though it was completely auto-pilot, she still felt the need to be at the steering wheel in case anything happened. "I'm sure he means well, Goten. Maybe he didn't want to bother us and will try calling later."

"Yeah, that's probably it…" he agreed half-heartedly. His mind continued to race with thoughts about the conversation his brother had with this _"Fu"_ person last night. _Just what did he mean "change" to me? Did something happen to make me become a Super Saiyan? Did I make a mistake?_ The boy asked himself.

Goten was brought back to reality by a hand suddenly placed on his shoulder. He looked back, a bit shocked, and saw Krillin sitting down next to him with a concerned smile. "Hey, champ. You're probably a little peeved that Trunks hasn't called you yet, aren't you?"

"Y- Yeah," the young Super Saiyan agreed, though there was far more to it. "It feels like he never wants to talk to me anymore."

"Well," the man started, "I can tell you he cares a lot about you. Just the other day, I saw him and he couldn't keep quiet about how excited he was to hang out with you again soon and one day, become a Super Saiyan just like you."

"Then how come he hasn't called?!" pouted Goten.

Krillin chuckled a bit and told him, "Y'know, sometimes it can be a little difficult to find out you're not as strong as a friend. I think Trunks might be feeling a little bit of that. I know I did once your father started to get stronger back when we were younger, and even Trunks' dad got the same way with him. Way before he turned Super Saiyan, I knew there was no getting on his level anymore. And you know, not only that, but from what I can understand, this power is putting a lot of stress on your body, and we're going to Yardrat to figure out a way around it."

"So… what should I do?" he asked the monk.

"Try reaching out yourself, and if he doesn't respond, then maybe he needs some space. Sometimes it may take a while for someone to find their own path in life. I mean, thirty-five and I still don't really know what I want to do yet."

"WHOA! THAT'S OLD!" the boy exclaimed. "That's past ten! That's past twenty! You're even older than my mom!"

A frustrated, and slightly embarrassed sigh escaped Krillin's mouth as he tried to defend himself. "H- Hey, c'mon, thirty-five isn't old! It just seems old to you because you're four!"

"_Old man_," Goten teased.

_"Goten,_" Gohan said sharply from next to his mother. "Be nice and don't tease Krillin. No matter how old he's getting."

Krillin shot a glare at the teenager. "Gee, _thanks, Gohan._"

"That's enough, you guys. We're almost there," Piccolo announced as he moved to the front of the ship. Out of the big window, he and everyone gathered to see the small green and gray planet that lay on the outskirts of the galaxy. They parted through its yellow clouds and a world of smoky-colored slab and bedrock.

Suddenly, a small, but plump Yardrat appeared on the ship. "Hello! Welcome to Yardrat!"

The group collectively jumped, not expecting their vessel to be boarded, much less invaded by the small Yardrat. He wore armor and a suit exactly like the one Goku possessed upon his return to Earth. His eyes were small, and his face was big, like a strange cat. And appearing next to him was a much taller, much rougher and muscular Yardrat. His skin was sky blue, with cobalt blue spots dotting him, and a mask to cover his mouth. By appearance alone, it seemed as if he was the bodyguard to the smaller Yardrat, but the group would be surprised to know the two were father and son.

"My name is Elder Pybara," the plump Yardrat said, "and this is my son and guardian of the planet, Soba."

"W- Well, hello," Gohan smiled, still a bit stunned by their abrupt appearance. "My name is-"

"You are Gohan, eldest born of Son Goku, yes?" the elder Yardrat guessed. The look on the boy's face let him know he was correct in his assumption. "Your spirit shares the same radiance that his did."

"HE-E-E-L-L-O-O-O-O!" cried Goten as he burst into the conversation. He threw a bag he had hoisted over his shoulder onto the floor in front of the elder and guardian and nearly ripped the zipper off trying to open it. The boy's hands flew in and eventually unearthed two full-sized chocolate bars that he presented to both of the Yardrats. "My name is Goten, and we're from Earth. We come in peace and bring you offerings from our planet!"

Elder Pybara smiled at the young Super Saiyan and accepted his chocolate bar with a graceful bow. "It's a pleasure to meet the youngest of Son Goku. You have his eyes and free spirit."

Soba took the bar of candy and eyed it carefully. "This… I believe your father told me about such a substance on his home planet, but I remember him saying it was _in_ something."

"Oh!" the boy cried as he lit up. "You must mean chocolate chip cookies! Those were some of my dad's favorites. I brought some of those, too! And jawbreakers, and fruit snacks, and…"

"That's quite enough, Goten," Chi-Chi hushed him. "I apologize if chocolate, or any of those things, are things your people don't eat. My name is Chi-Chi, I'm their mother."

"Ah," the elder smiled as he bowed respectfully. "I am honored to be in the presence of such a beautiful and powerful spirit."

Chi-Chi felt her face turn red. "O- Oh, my, well, thank you!"

"But of course," the elder smiled again. "Now, shall we continue this conversation on the ground?"

With a touch of two fingers to the Yardrat's head, they were moved to the planet within an instant. They stood on the dark gray rock underneath a vibrant sky so yellow that it reminded them of the Flying Nimbus. Their ship was parked just a few feet away from the elder's property. That was when they looked up to see a modest tower-like house that would serve as the Yardrat's residence. It almost towered over them, much like how Gohan felt Piccolo towered over him at this age and at younger ages.

"Welcome, travelers," Soba bowed once more, along with his father. "We are honored to have you here."

"Please, consider my home just as much as yours," the elder told them.

Gohan stood in awe of their hospitality. Though it was something both his father and Vegeta mentioned, he never expected them to be this accommodating. He hadn't even explained the situation, but something in the elder's small, beady eyes told him that he and Soba already knew. "This is incredible, but we would hate to put you out-"

He found himself immediately dragged aside by Krillin. The strength of his grip was rather impressive, but the urgency in his voice as he whispered to him was even more palpable. "_GOHAN! If the little Mister Miyagi alien wants to put us up in his penthouse, don't you think it would be rude of us to decline?_"

Elder Pybara chuckled at the squabbling two and assured them, "Please, my estate has plenty of room for all of us and more."

"Father," Soba cut in, "we must be mindful of the time."

"Yes, of course," the elder agreed. "So, I understand that you all have journeyed to our planet to learn Spirit Control, yes?"

Piccolo raised a brow at the two. "You seem to know quite a bit about us."

Krillin narrowed his eyes at the former guardian's skepticism. "Chill out, Piccolo. Goku probably told them all about us while he was here."

"There is no need to be wary of us," the elder urged him. "I've known about your predicament for quite some time now. We would love to assist with teaching Goten, as well as all of you, Spirit Control."

"As in me, too?" asked Chi-Chi.

"I don't see why not," Soba cut in. "Son Goku regaled us with many tales of how much of a formidable martial artist you were."

"'_Were?'_" she repeated, eyes somewhat raging with offense. "That man! I still _am_ a martial artist! You know what? Sign me up!"

Goten's eyes lit up as he asked, "Mom's gonna train with us?!"

Gohan's jaw was nearly to the floor, though he didn't mean for it to be. _I never thought I'd see the day where I get to train with my own mother…_

"Now, I should begin," Elder Pybara announced. His smile faded to an expression so serious that Gohan could tell the mood of the room was about to change drastically. The dark, beady eyes of the elder were like beams that bore into everyone as he started to explain. "I am to understand that you all have journeyed to our planet to seek training in our ways of Spirit Control in order to better control the young Goten's powers, is that correct?"

"Yes," Chi-Chi confirmed.

"Also," Gohan began to add, "we were wondering if we could train in Spirit Control ourselves. I understand that your people have abilities that allow you to heal without expending energy, as well as many other incredible techniques. But I understand that this is a large request of us, and we don't have a lot of time at all. If we can't help Goten master Spirit Control in three weeks and have him power down back to his base form, then we're afraid his energy will begin to run so rampant that it will kill him."

The elder hung his head as he announced, "I'm sorry, but the level of Spirit Control you seek cannot be achieved in a matter of three weeks."

"What?!" gawked Chi-Chi as she flew up from her seat. "What do you mean? Goten can do anything- he's a Super Saiyan!"

"She has a point," Piccolo vouched. "He can see techniques just once or twice and copy them perfectly. I've never seen such a latent talent in anyone before. Would you at least be willing to try?"

Soba let out a somewhat annoyed huff at the travelers. "Excuse me, but it is most impolite on our planet to question our Elder in such a way, and with such a tenacity. Besides, even if he were to be able to copy techniques after seeing them once, Spirit Control is far more than a technique used in battle. To even master the basics of our ways requires at minimum six months, sometimes four for the gifted. And then to be considered a master of Spirit Control takes years. Only a select few of us, like myself and my father, can be considered masters, and we have dedicated our entire lives to the bending of the spiritual energy within us."

"But my baby is more than gifted!" Chi-Chi declared. "Please, there must be a way. Isn't there some kind of accelerated program we could enroll him into? I know we're asking a lot and I'm sorry if we're being rude, but please, we don't have any options left. All of this energy is putting too much stress on his heart."

"It's true," Krillin established. "I can speak for a fact that no matter how much training Piccolo and Gohan have given him, his energy keeps increasing. It's too quick for any of us to keep up."

"Now, now," the elder asserted firmly, silencing everyone, "I never said that I didn't have a plan. However, it is… most unfavorable to the majority of your group. From what I've come to understand about Earthling life, it's that your days and time together is precious. Such is the way of our life here as well. I am able to manipulate time to compress an entire year into the span of three weeks. I project that Goten will need at least ten months to twelve months time to master the level in which he will be able to regulate his power. Super Saiyan or not, Spirit Control is a very delicate practice, and must be refined and used with the utmost dexterity and proficiency. Goten may be extremely talented, but he is still quite young. He may struggle to grasp control over his spirit for a while, especially if his power is increasing as much as you say it is."

A silence fell over the group. Everyone sat, stunned at the elder Yardrat's proposition. But the lull only lasted for a few seconds before Chi-Chi broke it. She was the first to commit as she declared, "I'll do anything for my son. It may be weird to explain to the schools, but hey he couldn't have started preschool yet anyway, and I'm sure Gohan could homeschool him, right?"

Gohan knew this was more of a demand than a question, but he agreed happily. "Of course, Mom. Anything if it means helping Goten. Besides, I could probably just test out of a grade over the summer."

He stopped, surprised that he would say that. But a part of him was also surprised that he hadn't thought of that yet. Though his body was that of a teenager's, his mind was almost just as sharp as it was back when he was twenty-three and recently finished his work at a prestigious university. His schoolwork was already tremendously easy, but he hadn't wanted to arouse suspicion.

_Mom __**does**__ think I'm pretty gifted… _the teenager began to think to himself. _Maybe I can use that to my favor. After all, this __**is**__ the only chance I'll get at making a new life for myself. Perhaps Fu was right, but…_ His mind stopped. Memories of his daughter and wife of his old life came rushing in, as they always did. But he had to keep it in.

Pybara eyed the boy curiously as he saw him retreat into his thoughts. But as the others stood to declare their commitment to the proposal, he turned to the young Super Saiyan, who had been curiously quiet through all of this. "Well now, what do you think, young man? You understand what we're asking you, right?"

"Yeah," the Super Saiyan nodded. "But what's Spirit Control?"

"Ah," Soba smirked as he looked at his father. "It seems we've gotten so excited about their situation that we forgot to explain Spirit Control to them."

Elder Pybara bowed and extended his deepest apologies to the group. "Forgive us. Spirit Control is the ability to manipulate the spiritual energy within one's self. For many of us, this ability does not serve to boost strength or raw power, but rather wield our spiritual energy so effectively that we can develop techniques and skills to assist us, should the need ever arise for a battle. We, as a people, are not warriors and are peaceful by nature, though some have developed ways to use it to enhance their combat abilities, such as my son, Soba, and Son Goku himself."

Goten looked back at the elder Yardrat and questioned, "But I'm gonna struggle with it, because I'm young and because my power is growing out of control, right?"

"That may very well be the case," Pybara warned him. "But do not lament your struggles. Seek to improve them, and find the strength to conquer yourself. That is the main lesson we teach in Spirit Control."

"That sounds interesting, _I guess,_" Goten commented in somewhat of a pout in an effort to be nice.

Pybara turned to Soba, who remained quiet, but seemed to look down his nose at the young boy. He could feel jealousy in his son's spirit and immediately addressed the warrior. "Soba, I would like you to train Goten in the art of Spirit Generation."

Soba looked at his father, eyes widened in an attempt to hold back an even larger shocked expression. "F- Father, might I suggest a different form of Spirit Control? That's quite a dangerous level for such a small child…"

"You ought to put more stock in the boy," his father advised him. "You train him in Spirit Generation, and I will train him in the art of Spirit Enhancement. Then together, we will help him combine what he's learned in order to regulate his powers."

"Excuse me," interrupted Chi-Chi, "but could you explain what all of this means, exactly? What are these generations and enhancements? And why are they dangerous?"

Soba looked to his father to explain to the mother, and the elder promptly began. "The Spirit Generation we refer to is a form of Spirit Control that extends one's spirit into elemental control, whether that be of the environment or from the energy inside of them. To manipulate the elements requires precision in one's will, stance, and movement. And Spirit Enhancement is a level that allows one to use their own spiritual energy to amplify the abilities of another. But in order to do this, you must have great control over your own energy and will. I believe that with these two teachings, along with the teaching of Spirit Control, Goten will be able to regulate his power."

"That's incredible!" Chi-Chi exclaimed. "I still don't think I quite understand, but it all sounds like it'll be good for him!"

Pybara turned to the young boy and asked him, "Well, now that we've explained this to you, what do you think?"

"Okay, now _that_ sounds cool!" Goten declared. "Sign me up!"

"Now, as for the rest of you," Pybara started, "there are many things that Spirit Control can offer you, as it is but a hub of many things. I implore you all to take the night to think about what it is you would like to learn. Do not limit yourselves, as Spirit Control can offer many things to you."

"I would also like all of you to keep in mind what a privilege it is to be trained by both the Elder of our planet and the Guardian," Soba informed them. "But while you are here, you are our honored guests. Please, make yourselves at home."

Pybara smiled at his son. "Thank you for being more hospitable. Now, you all have had quite the journey here, and it's getting late. Please, take the rest of the day to rest. Tomorrow, we shall begin your training."

"This is so wonderful," Chi-Chi professed. "Thank you so much again, Elder Pybara. I promise you that we will find some way to make this up to you."

"Yeah! Thank you so much!" Goten joined in.

"I suppose Piccolo and I here owe you a major thanks as well," Krillin stated.

Pybara looked out the window to see the bright yellow sky dimming over the world. "You all should get your belongings unpacked while the ship still has daylight. Soba, would you help them? They don't have the luxury of using Instant Transmission like we do."

Soba's face lowered with his father's demand. "As you wish, father."

As the group began to get up, Pybara eyed Gohan and called out to him, "Excuse me, Gohan, could I see you for just a moment?"

The teenager stopped and remained in the room as his friendly and family were teleported outside by Soba. He sat back down in his seat, brain wracking with what the older Yardrat might want to speak with him about. "Is everything okay?"

Pybara lowered his head. His expression fell grim, almost uncomfortable as he began to question the boy. "I sense great conflict and division within your spirit, Gohan. Tell me, how are you doing?"

"I- I'm doing fine," he answered, struggling to keep his emotions repressed.

The elder rose and moved toward the window, where he gazed out at the sunset that fell over the rocky plains. It almost seemed as if he couldn't bear to look at the boy, or say what he had to say. But finally, the elder came out with it.

"Things must be quite different for you in this lifetime, yes?"


	8. The End (For Now)

Hello, everyone. It is with great sadness and regret that I must announce I am going to cancel this story. I started this fic with the best intentions, to build up characters and expand on things that weren't previously touched on in the show. The goal was to give not just Gohan, but _everyone_ in the Dragon Ball universe another chance. However, there were two critical mistakes I made that seemed to be the nail in the coffin for this story.

My first error was having my PMs turned off and refusing to interact with the reader base the story has drawn. It was never my intention to be cold or off-putting towards any of you, but I feel as though I came across that way and I would like to apologize for that.

Secondly, the time skip I did in between the Cell saga and the Yardrat saga essentially skipped a lot of very important things that I wanted to cover, like Gohan's interactions with everyone and his life after the Cell Games. It would have been smart to show that, especially since I decided to make Goten a Super Saiyan. I think I got a little too excited and moved too quickly because I really wanted to dive into the big parts of the story, rather than take the time to establish and build a world.

Again, I'm very sorry its come to this, but I just feel like I've completely lost direction of the story and what I wanted to do. But this isn't the end! I'm going to rewrite this story very soon. I hope you all will join me on the rewrite. It'll be posted some time in September, most likely. For those of you that really enjoyed this version of the story, I'll leave it up. Perhaps I'll continue it some time in the future, but for now, I want to focus on the rewrite and not only do this story the justice I know it can, but give you all the story that you deserve to read, filled with excitement and fun.

If you have any questions or anything of the story, please feel free to leave a review and I'll respond, or PM me. I am, however, in need of a co-collaborator for this story. I think that was another reason why this version failed. I sometimes get carried away, and had someone been there to reign me in, perhaps I wouldn't have made the mistakes I made. If you're interested, please give me a message! My only requirements are that you be well-versed/knowledgeable with Z, Super, and GT as well.


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